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RAMBLES   IN    OLD    BOSTON, 

NEW    ENGLAND. 


RAMBLES 


IN 


OLD     BOSTON 


NEW    ENGLAND 


BY   THE 

REV.    EDWARD    G.    PORTER 


ILLUSTRATED    BY    GEORGE    R.    TOLMAN 


BOSTON 

CUPPLES     AND     HURD 

94  <Bopl0tcm  street 

1887 


^ 


73-4 


Copyright,  1886, 
By  Cupples,  Upham,  and  Company, 


5395? 


TO 

THE    BOSTON  IAN    SOCIETY, 

TO    WHOSE    CUSTODY    THE    CITY    HAS    CONFIDED 

THE  COUNCIL  CHAMBER  AND  THE  HALL  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 

IN    THE    OLD    STATE    HOUSE, 

IN    RECOGNITION    OF    ITS    ENTERPRISE    IN    EXPLORING    AND    PRESERVING 

GTfje  Untfqufties  of  Boston. 


PREFACE 


HOEVER  has  undertaken  to  study  the  early  history 
and  topography  of  Boston  has  had  occasion  to  regret 
the  scanty  materials  which  have  come  down  to  us  in 
illustration  of  the  architectural  appearance  of  the 
old  colonial   town. 

It  would  add  very  much  to  our  understanding  of  those  times  if 
we  could  have  accurate  drawings  and  descriptions  of  the  streets 
and  buildings  as  they  then  appeared. 

Much  has  been  done  of  late  to  shed  light  upon  the  subject,  and 
to  repair  the  loss,  as  far  as  possible,  by  a  careful  examination  of 
documents,  and  by  earnest  attempts  to  save  from  destruction  such 
ancient  buildings  as  still  remain  to  us.  But  this  effort  has  natur- 
ally been  directed  toward  the  more  famous  buildings,  and  especially 
those  of  a  public  character.  Very  little  has  ever  been  attempted 
in  the  case  of  private  and  ordinary  dwellings,  a  few  of  which  — 
and  only  a  few  —  of  the  early  time  yet  stand  as  instructive,  though 
often  modest,  reminders  of  the  past. 

Probably  few  citizens  living  in  the  Boston  of  to-day  are  aware 
of  the  existence  of  such  houses  as  are  presented  in  these  sketches. 
They  are  situated  mostly  at  the  North  End,  a  section  rarely  visited 


vi  ii  Preface. 

by  the  people  in  other  parts  of  the  city ;  and  yet,  historically,  it  is 
by  far  the  most  interesting  part  of  our  metropolis. 

To  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  quaint  and  picturesque  character 
of  these  scattered  buildings,  as  they  stand  to-day,  is  the  object  of 
this  work.  The  original  plan  included  only  private  dwellings  ;  but, 
to  secure  greater  variety,  the  principal  public  buildings  have  been 
added. 

Mr.  Tolman  has  made  his  sketches  with  conscientious  accuracy 
from  the  houses  themselves,  and  not  from  engravings  or  photo- 
graphs. With  the  single  exception  of  the  old  feather-store  in 
Dock  Square,  which  was  drawn  from  an  original  pencil  sketch 
by  Bartholomew,  he  has  not  attempted  to  represent  in  detail  any 
building  which  is  not  now  standing. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  contribution  to  the  literature  relating  to 
Boston  may  prove  an  acceptable  aid  to  those  who  may  hereafter 
wish  to  know  what  architectural  antiquities  we  had  among  us  in 
the  good  old  year  of  1886. 

Any  additional  information  which  these  rambles  can  procure 
from  any  quarter  will  be  gratefully  received  by  the  writer. 

EDWARD   G.   PORTER. 

Lexington,  November,  1886. 


NOTE 


ANY  of  the  facts  contained  in  this  volume  have  been 
derived    from    original    sources,   in   the   investigation 
of  which   the  writer  has  been  generously  aided  by 
various  persons  who  have  had  a  special  acquaintance 
with  the  North  End.     Among  them  should  be  mentioned, — 


Mr.  Rowland  Ellis. 

Mr.  William  Parkman. 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Lewin. 

Mr.  William  L.  Learned. 

Rev.  Cazneau  Palfrey. 

Mr.  John  T.  Wells. 

Miss  E.  Harriet  Newman. 

Mr.  Eleazer  F.  Pratt. 

Mr.  Charles  E.  Wiggin. 

Mrs.  Susan  E.  Parker. 

Mr.  Matthew  Binney. 

Colonel  Henry  Lee. 

Mr.  Frederick  W.  Eliot. 

Miss  C.  E.  Cabot. 

Hon.  Thomas  Green. 

Mrs.  J.  A.  Tarbell. 

Mr.  Reuben  B.  Sherburne. 

Miss  Mary  J.  Sargent. 

Mr.  Joseph  L.  Bates. 

Mrs.  John  Hobbs. 

Mr.  Edward  Macdonald. 

The  Misses  Lash. 

Mr.  Samuel  F.  McCleary. 


Mrs.  Joseeh  A.  Veazie. 

Mr.  John  N.  Barbour. 

Mrs.  Fanny  Haskins  Boltwood. 

Mr.  Joshua  H.  Pitman. 

The  Messrs.  Dodd. 

Mr.  John  T.  Hassam. 

Mr.  Robert  H.  Eddy. 

Mr.  William  H.  Whitmore. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Ann  Gould. 

Mr.  John  H.  Krey. 

Mr.  John  Douglas. 

Mr.  Henry  H.  Edes. 

Mrs.  Jacob  Forster. 

Mr.  Ephraim  Lombard. 

Mr.  Beza  Lincoln. 

Mrs.  Thomas  Russell. 

Mr.  William  Marble. 

Mr.  Elias  W.  Goddard. 

Mrs.  Henry  H.  Hartt. 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Stearns. 

Mrs.  Susan  Bassett  Dillaway. 

Hon.  Charles  W.  Slack. 

Mr.  Joshua  Bentley  Fowle. 


Note. 


Mr.  Edward  H.  Dunn. 
Mr.  John  H.  Blake. 
Hon.  Frederick  W.  Lincoln. 
Mr.  George  O.  Carpenter. 
Mr.  John  Joseph  May. 
Mrs.  Edward  Wigglesworth. 
Mr.  Charles  Atwood. 
Mr.  Jeremiah  Prescott. 
The  Misses  Leach. 
Mr.  M.  E.  Wadsworth. 
Miss  Frances  K.  Harris. 
Mrs.  R.  C.  Lincoln. 
Mr.  Thomas  Mair. 
Hon.  Moses  Kimball. 


Hon.  Thomas  C.  Amory. 
Mr.  John  F.  Anderson. 
Mr.  Charles  Howard. 
The  Misses  Loring. 
Miss  Mary  P.  Hale. 
Miss  G.  Appleton. 
Mr.  T.  G.  Frothingham. 
Capt.  H.  C  Hemmenway. 
Mr.  Noah  Lincoln. 
Dr.  Thomas  H.  Chandler. 
Mr.  John  T.  Prince. 
Mrs.  Benjamin  H.  Green. 
Mr.  Newton  Talbot. 
Mr.  John  Gilbert. 


No  one  can  pursue  these  studies  without  a  grateful  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  work  already  accomplished  by  the  able  and 
painstaking  writers  who  have  made  our  local  history  so  attractive. 
That  something,  however,  yet  remains  to  be  done,  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  inquiries  concerning  our  older  houses  are 
continually  being  made  which  no  one  seems  able  to  answer.  It 
is  an  encouragement  to  know  that  all  future  efforts  in  this  direc- 
tion will  be  rendered  much  easier  by  the  publication,  now  in 
progress,  of  the  town  records  and  the  Suffolk  deeds,  which,  with 
their  convenient  indexes,  will  soon  open  the  way  for  ampler  and 
more  critical  research. 


CONTENTS 


Page 

The  Old  State  House 9 

Tremere  House 19 

Old  Ruin 25 

Marshall's  Lane 31 

The  Boston  Stone 39 

The  Painters'  Arms 45 

A  Nameless  Place 48 

Faneuil  Hall 53 

Admiral  Vernon 60 

Corn  Court 67 

The  Sun  Tavern 79 

The  Old  Feather  Store 87 

"Honestus" 90 

The  Green  Dragon 95 

The  Wells-Adams  House 107 

The  Badger  House 115 

A  British  Hospital 123 

A  Prince-Street  House 131 

Master  Tileston's  House 139 


xn  Contents. 

Page 

The  Newman  House 149 

Sheafe  Street 155 

Colonel  Snelling 158 

Christ  Church 165 

The  Galloupe  House 179 

The  Hartt  House 187 

Copp's  Hill 190 

Captain  Robert  Gray 194 

North  Bennet  Street 199 

The  Mather-Eliot  House 210 

Noah  Lincoln's  House 215 

^Unity  Street 225 

Tileston  Street 230 

Charter  Street  237 

Vernon  Place 249 

Foster  Street 255 

An  Ancient  Tunnel 265 

Salem  Street 268 

Salutation  Alley 271 

nFleet  Street 281 

Odds  and  Ends 293 

The  Ship  Tavern 294 

The  North-End  Coffee-House 295 

.  A  North-End  Family 297 

The  New  North  Church 299 

Clark  Street 300 

Chimney  Sweeps 301 


Contents.  xiii 

Page 

North  Square 307 

The  Old  North  Church 308 

Paul  Revere's  House 319 

A  Noted  Bell 327 

An  Ancient  Weathercock 332 

The  Wadsworth  Tablet 343 

Ochterlony-Adan  House 346 

The  Eastern  Stage  House 349 

Bell  in  Hand 357 

King's  Chapel 365 

King's  Chapel  Burial-Ground 369 

Granary  Burial-Ground 370 

The  Province  House 375 

The  Old  Corner  Bookstore 383 

The  Old  South 391 

The  Sheaffe  House 399 

Index 403 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

Map  of  the  North  End xx 

Old  State  House  (Washington-Street  Front) 3 

Old  State  House  (State-Street  Front) 7 

Lion  and  Unicorn 9 

Tower  Stairs 14 

Tremere  House 17 

341-345  North  Street 20 

Old  Ruin 23 

Page's  Court 26 

Marshall's  Lane 29 

Atwood's  Oyster-House 34 

The  Boston  Stone 37 

Scottow's  Alley 40 

The  Painters'  Arms 43 

A  Nameless  Place 48 

Faneuil  Hall 51 

The  Grasshopper  Vane 59 

Admiral  Vernon 60 

Corn  Court 65 

Sign  of  the  Hancock  Tavern 72 


xvi  Illustrations, 

Page 

The  Sun  Tavern 75 

Plan  of  the  Sun  Tavern 77 

Corbel  in  Dock  Square 82 

The  Old  Feather  Store 85 

Sun  Court 89 

"Honestus" 90 

The  Green  Dragon 93 

Old  Brass  Knocker 100 

Wells-Adams  House  (Front) 103 

Wells-Adams  House  (Rear) 105 

Solid  Window  Frame no 

The  Badger  House 113 

Thoreau  House 118 

A  British  Hospital 121 

Margaret  Street     126 

A  Prince-Street  House 129 

Old  Doorway  on  Prince  Street 134 

Master  Tileston's  House 137 

Tileston's  Portrait 144 

The  Newman  House 147 

A  Punched  Lantern 154 

The  Clough-Waters  House 155 

Colonel  Snelling 158 

Christ  Church 161 

Original  Plan  of  Pews  in  Christ  Church 163 

The  Royal  Gift 174 

The  Galloupe  House 177 


Illustrations.  x  vi  i 

Page 

Captain  Malcom's  Gravestone 182 

The  Hartt  House 185 

Copp  Gravestone,  Copp's  Hill    ...........    .193 

A  Sky  Line 194 

"North  Bennet  Street 197 

Carved  Door  Cornice 206 

Isaac  Harris  Pitcher 209 

The  Mather-Eliot  House 210 

Noah  Lincoln's  House 213 

House  of  Captain  John  Howe 220 

Parker-Emery  House,  Unity  Street 223 

A  Veteran,  Tileston  Street 232 

A  Charter- Street  House 235 

vAn  Old  One-Story  House 244 

Vernon  Place 247 

An  Overhanging  End 250 

Foster  Street 253 

A  Fire-Bucket 260 

An  Ancient  Tunnel 263 

The  Watson  House 270 

Salutation  Alley 271 

Fleet-Street  Houses 279 

Peep  Through  a  Gateway 288 

Odds  and  Ends 291 

A  Corner  Beaufet  . 302 

Plan  of  North  Square  and  its  Surroundings 303 

The  Hichborn  House - 305 


xviii  Illustrations. 

Page 

Paul  Revere's  House 317 

An  Overhanging  Post 326 

Revere's  First  Bell 327 

The  Cockerel 332 

The  Wadsworth  Tablet 341 

An  Old  Affair 345 

Ochterlony-Adan  House 346 

The  Sign  of  Mercury 352 

Bell  in  Hand 355 

King's  Chapel 363 

Province  House  and  the  Indian  Vane 373 

The  Royal  Arms 375 

Province  House  Alley 378 

The  Old  Corner  Bookstore 381 

Old  Chimneys 386 

The  Old  South 389 

Old  South  Steeple 394 

The  Sheaffe  House 397 

"A  Bit  of  the  End" 402 


AUTOGRAPHS 


Page 

William  Williams 61 

Thomas  Kast 131 

John  Tileston 144 

Josiah  Snelling,  Jr.  . 158 

Timothy  Cutler,  Gillam  Phillips,  Robert  Temple,  Leonard  Vassall, 
John  Hooton,  Anthony  Blount,  Samuel  Weekes,  Edward  Watts, 

William  Price,  and  Thomas  James  Gruchy 169 

Robert  Lash 276 

Elisha  Bangs 281 

John  Tudor,  Samuel  Ridgway,  Gibbes  Atkins 314 

Paul  Revere 326 

Thomas  Hichborn,  William  Sherburne,  Russell  Sturgis,  Enoch  James, 
William    Bordman,    Edmund    Hartt,    Samuel    Sturgis,    Samuel 

Austin,    Edward  Proctor 329 

Timothy  Wadsworth 343 

Sir  Roger  Hale  Sheaffe 401 


4fiH£X 


THE   OLD   STATE   HOUSE. 


OSTON  has  been  singularly  fortunate  in  the  preser- 
vation of  this  famous  building  which,  more  than 
any  other  in  her  history,  has  been  identified  with 
municipal  and  State  affairs.  And  this  is  the  more 
remarkable  when  one  remembers  what  sweeping  changes  have 
been  continually  going  on  in  its  neighborhood,  and  how  imperious 
have  been  the  demands  upon  such  eligible  property  as  this  for 
commercial  purposes.  The  fact  that  this  venerable  structure  has 
survived  the  ravages  of  fire,  the  changes  of  government,  and  the 
pressure  of  business,  during  so  long  a  period,  would  seem  to  be 
a  sufficient  reason  why  it  should  be  allowed  to  stand  henceforth 
as  a  permanent  memorial  of  the  past.  And  it  is  a  gratifying 
sign  of  an  improved  public  sentiment  in  such  matters  that  this 
edifice,  thus  rescued,  has  been  recently  restored  by  the  city  govern- 
ment  to   its  old-time  condition,   so   that  to-day   it   presents,   both 


io  The  Old  State  House. 

within  and  without,  substantially  the  appearance  which  it  bore  in 
the  last  century. 

No  one  can  adequately  estimate  the  educational  influence  which 
such  a  monument  as  this  will  have  upon  the  people,  as  they  behold 
in  its  walls  and  chambers  the  pictured  story  of  those  thrilling 
events  which  make  up  so  much  of  the  history  of  Boston,  and, 
indeed,  of  New  England  and  the  nation. 

The  old  State  House  stands  upon  the  site  of  the  original  market- 
place, opposite  the  first  meeting-house  in  which,  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  the  town  meetings  were  held,  according  to  the  custom  of 
the  time. 

In  the  year  1656  Captain  Robert  Keayne,  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  left,  in  his  volumi- 
nous and  eccentric  will,  "  the  sum  of  three  hundred  pounds,  current 
money,"  for  a  Town  House,  which  was  to  furnish  room  for  the 
market,  as  well  as  for  the  courts,  a  library,  an  exchange,  an  armoury, 
etc.  An  equal  amount  was  contributed  by  citizens,  and  a  wooden 
structure  was  erected  on  this  spot  which  served  the  purposes  of  the 
town  until  it  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  171 1.  There  are 
good  descriptions  extant  of  this  first  building,  but  no  pictures  or 
plans.  It  was  the  scene  of  the  administrations  of  Endicott,  Bel- 
lingham,  Leverett,  Bradstreet,  Andros,  Phips,  Stoughton,  Bellomont, 
and  Joseph  Dudley.  By  this  time  the  Town  House  had  become 
such  a  necessity  that  its  successor  was  immediately  provided  for, 
one  half  the  expenses  being  borne  by  the  Province,  and  the  other 
half  by  the  Town  and  the  County  in  equal  proportion.  That  was 
the  building  whose  walls  still  remain  to  us,  and  whose  record  is 
briefly  given  on  the  mural  tablet,  recently  placed  in  the  hall  of  the 
circular  stairway,  as  follows:  — 


The  Old  State  House. 


ii 


ON    THIS    SPOT    STOOD    UNTIL    ITS    BURNING,  OCT.  3,   i7h, 

THE    FIRST    TOWN    HOUSE    OF    BOSTON, 

FOUNDED    IN    1657,    BY    THE    LIBERALITY    OF    CAPT.    ROBERT    KEAYNE. 

HERE    IN    1713    WAS    ERECTED    THE    SECOND    TOWN     HOUSE, 

WHOSE    WALLS    ENDURE    TO    THIS    DAY.    AS    DO    THE    FLOORS 

AND    ROOF,    CONSTRUCTED    IN    1747.    AFTER    A    SECOND    FIRE 

HAD    DEVASTATED    ITS    CHAMBERS. 

HERE    THE    LOYAL    ASSEMBLIES    OBEYED    THE    CROWN; 

HERE    THE    SPIRIT    OF    LIBERTY    WAS    AROUSED    AND    GUIDED 

BY    THE    ELOQUENT    APPEALS    AND    SAGACIOUS    COUNSELS 

OF    OTIS,    ADAMS,   QUINCY,   WARREN,   CUSHING    AND    HANCOCK. 

HERE    THE    CHILD    INDEPENDENCE    WAS    BORN  ; 

HERE  WASHINGTON    RECEIVED   THE  TRIBUTE  OF  AN   ENFRANCHISED   PEOPLE 

HERE    WAS    INSTALLED    THE    GOVERNMENT    OF    A    NEW    STATE; 

HERE    FOR    TEN    YEARS    OUR    CIVIC    RULERS    ASSEMBLED  ; 

AND    HERE, 

BY    THE    VOTE    OF    THE    CITY    COUNCIL    OF    1881, 

HAVE    BEEN    RECONSTRUCTED,   IN    THEIR    ORIGINAL    FORM, 

THE    COUNCIL    CHAMBER    AND    REPRESENTATIVES'   HALL  — 

HALLOWED    BY    THE    MEMORIES    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 

MAY    OUR    CHILDREN    PRESERVE    THE    SACRED    TRUST. 


The  first  governor  who  presided  in  this  building  was  Joseph 
Dudley,  and  after  him  came  Tailer,  Shute,  Dummer,  Burnet, 
Belcher,  and  Shirley.  It  was  during  the  latter's  brilliant  admin- 
istration that  the  famous  expedition  against  Louisburg  was  planned 
and  successfully  carried  out  in  1 746,  under  General  (afterwards  Sir 
William)  Pepperrell  and  Commodore  Warren. 

The  following  year,  the  Town  House  (at  that  time  commonly 
called  the  Court  House)  was  seriously  injured  by  a  fire,  which 
began  in  the  second  story,  and  destroyed  much  of  the  interior, 
and  nearly  all  the  records,  pictures,  and  furniture.  The  build- 
ing, however,  was  reconstructed  very  much  as  before;  and  from 
that  day  to  this,  no  essential  changes  have  taken  place  in  its 
appearance. 

An   interesting  description  of    it   is    found    in    a  journal  dated 
1750:  — 


12  The  Old  State  House. 

"  They  have  also  a  Town-House,  built  of  brick,  situated  in  King's 
street.  It  *s  a  very  Grand  Brick  Building,  Arch'd  all  Round,  and 
Two  Storie  Heigh,  Sash'd  above ;  its  Lower  Part  is  always  open, 
design'd  as  a  Change,  tho  the  Merchants  in  Fair  Weather  make 
their  Change  in  the  Open  Street,  at  the  easternmost  end.  In  the 
Upper  Story  are  the  Council  and  Assembly  Chambers.  It  has 
a  neat  Capulo,  Sash'd  all  Round,  which  on  rejoycing  days  is 
Eliuminated." 

The  administrations  of  Pownall,  Bernard,  and  Hutchinson  bring 
us  to  the  stirring  events  immediately  preceding  the  Revolutionary 
War.  At  that  time  many  eyes  were  turned  to  this  building  in 
hope  or  fear,  as  the  scene  of  the  royal  authority  in  the  Council 
Chamber,  and  of  the  popular  demands  for  liberty  in  the  Hall  of 
Representatives.  The  obnoxious  measures  of  the  Crown,  which 
followed  so  rapidly  upon  the  accession  of  George  III.  in  1760, 
were  here  officially  promulgated  by  the  governors,  and  vehemently 
denounced  by  the  patriots. 

The  collision  which  finally  came  in  1775  was  foreshadowed  in 
the  speeches  of  James  Otis  and  Samuel  Adams,  in  the  protests 
of  the  Legislature  against  the  unjust  imposition  of  taxes,  in  the 
arrival  of  the  British  regiments,  and  in  the  massacre  of  March  5, 
1770,  which  occurred  almost  under  the  windows  of  the  Council 
Chamber. 

The  quartering  of  troops  in  the  Town  House  and  the  planting 
of  cannon  at  its  doors  gave  great  offence  to  the  people,  and 
served  only  to  increase  the  difficulty.  Under  General  Gage,  the 
last  of  the  royal  governors,  were  developed  those  military  move- 
ments which  made  Lexington,  Concord,  and  Bunker  Hill  immortal, 
and  which  led  to  the  organization  of  an  American  army,  by  whose 


The  Old  State  House.  \\ 

achievements  the  British  were  compelled  to  evacuate  Boston  on 
the  17th  of  March,  1776. 

In  July  of  the  same  year,  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
read  to  the  citizens  of  Boston  from  the  famous  east  window  of  the 
Council  Chamber,  where  in  the  earlier  time  the  royal  succession 
had  been  in  three  instances  proclaimed  "  with  Beat  of  Drum  and 
Blast  of  Trumpet,"  and  where  also  had  been  announced  in  turn  the 
appointment  of  eight  governors  of  Massachusetts  under  the  Crown, 
and  where  at  last,  in  1783,  the  Proclamation  of  Peace  was  read  by 
the  Sheriff  of  Suffolk,  amid  the  grateful  shouts  of  the  multitude 
and  the  salutes  of  thirteen  cannon  at  the  forts. 

In  this  building  John  Hancock  was  inaugurated  the  first  gov- 
ernor under  the  Commonwealth  ;  and  here  presided  his  successors, 
James  Bowdoin,  Samuel  Adams,  and  Increase  Sumner.  In  1789, 
General  Washington,  during  his  last  visit  to  Boston,  reviewed  the 
procession  from  a  temporary  balcony  erected  at  the  west  end  of 
the  Hall  of  Representatives. 

Here  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  met  for  the  last  time  in 
1 798,  and  then  marched  in  a  body  to  the  more  imposing  structure 
which  had  just  been  completed  on   Beacon   Hill. 

The  old  building  has  since  then  been  given  up  to  business  pur- 
poses, except  during  an  interval  of  ten  years,  1 830-1 839,  when  it 
was  occupied  by  the  municipality  as  a  City  Hall. 

In  1882  it  was  carefully  restored  and  formally  re-dedicated  to  the 
public  use  as  a  memorial  hall.  The  second  floor,  containing  the 
ancient  Council  Chamber  and  Representatives'  Hall,  has  been  con- 
fided to  the  custody  of  the  Bostonian  Society  for  a  term  of  years. 
Valuable  portraits,  engravings,  documents,  and  other  historical 
relics  may  here  be  inspected  daily  by  the  public  without  charge. 


H 


The  Old  State  House. 


The  tower,  the  quaint  roof,  the  lion  and  unicorn,  the  central  stair- 
way, and,  in  fact,  all  the  details  of  the  building,  present  with  almost 
absolute  accuracy  the  characteristic  features  of  the  old  Town 
House  of  the  fathers.  And  it  is  confidently  believed  that  the 
venerable  structure  will  continue  to  grow  more  and  more  in  the 
affections  of  the  people  of  Boston,  because  it  was  here  that  "  the 
child  Independence  was  born." 


OTto  H°u/e 


TREMERE   HOUSE. 


HIS  ancient  dwelling  is  situated  near  the  extreme  end 
of  North  (formerly  Ship)  Street,  on  the  eastern  side, 
and,  according  to  the  present   numeration,  bears  the 
numbers  343-345-     ^  has  long  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  Tremere  family,  and  is  rented  as  a  tenement. ) 

The  rear  of  the  house  is  chosen  for  the  full-page  view  given 
herewith,  on  account  of  the  picturesque  and  foreign  aspect  which 
it  presents.  One  could  readily  believe,  indeed,  that  instead  of 
being  in  Boston,  it  might  be  found  in  some  old  part  of  Edinburgh 
or  Newcastle-on-Tyne.  This  quaint  appearance  is  enhanced  by 
the  rickety  outside  stairs  with  landings  and  galleries,  which,  though 
not  a  part  of  the  original  house,  seem  to  belong  to  it  in  the  natural 
order  of  things,  and,  to  an  artist's  eye,  they  certainly  add  much  to 
the  general  effect. 

The  windows,  some  of  them  broad  and  some  narrow,  are  a 
striking  feature  of  houses  of  this  period.  They  are  not  rebated, 
as  was  usual  in  later  times,  but  made  with  a  solid  frame  which  fits 
square  against  the  jambs  and  rests  on  a  heavy  plank  sill.  The 
two  dormer  windows,  one  above  the  other,  are  quite  exceptional  in 
Boston,  and  show  that  the  attic  is  spacious  enough  to  contain  two 
stories. 

The  floors  of  the  house  rest  upon  large  square  oak  girders, 
chamfered  ;  and  the  joists,  which  are  generally  four  by  five  inches, 


20 


Tremere  House. 


are  laid  flatwise.  This  property  was  conveyed  in  a  deed,  dated 
December  29,  1674,  as  follows:  "John  Paine  conveys  to  Wm. 
Downe.  his  dwelling-house  in  Boston,  with  the  ground  it  stands 
upon,  containing  in  length  41  feet,  with  the  privilege  of  eaves- 
dropping at  each  end  of  said  dwelling-house;  the  land  containing 
the  same  breadth  with  said  house,  and  eaves-dropping,  to  run 
downwards  100  feet  from  the  street  towards  the  harbour,  with  the 
privilege  of  landing  and  shipping  of  goods."  William  Paine 
probably  built  the  house  sometime  previous  to  1674,  as  there  is 
no  record  of  conveyance  to  him.  William  Downe  married  John 
Paines  daughter. 

This  is  one  of  the  very  few  houses  left  by  the  great  fire  which 
destroyed  that  part  of  the  town  in  1676. 

The  front  view  of  the  house  is  given  on  this  page. 


Vffl 


OLD    RUIN 


OR  a  house  so  dismantled  and  picturesque  as  this,  no 
name  could  be  more  appropriate  than  the  one  we  have 
given  to  it.  Even  in  a  neighborhood  of  old  tenements, 
it  would  be  hard  to  find  one  more  shattered  than  this. 
It  stands  at  No.  341  North  Street,  and  joins  the 
Tremere  house,  a  description  of  which  has  just  been  given.  The 
view  is  taken  from  a  side  passage-way  which  formerly  led  down 
to  May's  (afterwards  Union)  Wharf,  less  than  one  hundred  feet  in 
the  rear ;  but  the  dock  has  long  since  been  filled  up  to  make  room 
for  Commercial  Street.  The  city  engineers  have  not  been  able  to 
find  an  owner  for  this  old  passage-way,  though  it  has  never  been 
claimed  as  public  property.  It  has  long  been  encumbered  with 
old  carts  and  rubbish,  and  is  used  by  pedestrians  as  a  short  cut 
from   North  Street  to  Atlantic  Avenue. 

The  wooden  annex  with  gambrel  roof,  shown  on  the  left,  fronts 
upon  North  Street,  and  was,  until  recently,  connected  with  the 
next  estate  by  an  archway,  traces  of  which  can  still  be  seen  on  the 
end  of  the  building.  The  main  body  of  the  house  is  of  brick,  laid 
in  "  promiscuous  bond,"  which  would  indicate  that  it  could  not 
have  been  built  earlier  than  1720.  It  is  now  the  property  of  the 
heirs  of  Timothy  Dodd. 


26 


Old  Ruin. 


A  trained  eye  would  not  fail  to  notice  the  tall,  spacious 
chimney,  rising  so  far  above  the  hipped  roof,  and  abutting 
against  that  of  the  Tremere  house,  one  of  the  best  specimens 
of  old  chimney-work  in  the  city.  The  small  view  which  follows 
represents  a  portion  of  Page's  Court,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
North    Street. 


v^oiHgjgBBfim 


»« 


MARSHALL'S   LANE. 


NE  of  the  old  narrow  passage-ways,  of  which  there 
were  formerly  so  many  in  Boston,  was  Marshall's 
Lane,  a  well-known  and  very  convenient  little  thor- 
oughfare, connecting  Hanover  and  Union  Streets  near 
their  intersection.  The  name  comes  from  Thomas  Marshall,  one 
of  the  early  settlers,  who  appears  frequently  in  the  record  from 
1634  to  1660,  as  ferryman,  shoemaker,  land-owner,  selectman,  rep- 
resentative, and  deacon  of  the  First  Church.  He  had  a  house  and 
garden  on  Hanover  Street,  near  this  point,  and  in  1652  offered  to 
the  town  a  roadway  across  his  land,  to  shorten  the  distance  to  the 
drawbridge,  which  stood  where  Blackstone  Street  now  crosses 
Hanover  Street. 

In  these  days,  when  no  one  is  willing  to  live  or  to  do  business 
on  a  lane,  all  the  quaint  old  by-ways  have  to  be  called  streets  or 
avenues  to  gratify  a  foolish  pride  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  proper 
meaning  of  language.  The  fathers  had  no  such  scruples  ;  and  our 
English  cousins  do  not  encourage  them  to-day,  judging  by  the  fact 
that  in  London  some  of  the  costliest  and  most  aristocratic  resi- 
dences are  on  Park  Lane ;  while  Chancery  Lane,  Paternoster  Row, 
and  Mincing  Lane  are  great  centres  of  business,  and  not  likely 
ever  to  be  called  streets. 


32  Marshall* s  Lane. 

But  Marshall's  Lane  has  become  Marshall  Street,  and  a  narrow 
sidewalk  has  been  added,  perhaps  to  justify  the  change.  Turning 
in  from  Hanover  Street,  we  face  a  comely  three-story  brick  building 
of  the  last  century.  This  was  the  residence  of  Ebenezer  Hancock, 
a  younger  brother  of  the  Governor,  and  deputy  paymaster-general 
of  the  Continental  Army.  His  son  John,  who  lived  till  1859,  often 
spoke  of  the  scenes  witnessed  in  this  house  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  when  it  was  an  important  military  rendezvous. 
On  the  arrival  of  Count  D'Estaing  with  his  fleet  in  1778,  Pay- 
master Hancock  received  a  large  quantity  of  French  silver  crowns, 
which  were  piled  up  under  guard  in  the  room  on  the  left  of  the 
entrance,  awaiting  disbursement  among  our  poorly  paid  troops. 
The  sight  of  a  roomful  of  money,  brought  over  from  France  for 
the  relief  of  the  Colonies,  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the 
people  of  Boston,  and  added  much  to  the  cordial  feeling  with  which 
they  welcomed  the  officers  and  men  of  the  fleet.  Receptions,  both 
public  and  private,  were  extended  to  them  ;  and  every  patriot  soldier 
who  drew  his  pay  at  this  house  no  doubt  blessed  their  memory  as 
he  felt  the  weight  of  these  solid  crowns  in  his  pocket. 

After  the  Hancocks,  the  Frothingham  family  had  possession 
here ;  and  they  were  followed  by  the  present  owner,  Mr.  Learned, 
who  has  had  a  shop  on  the  right-hand  corner  since  182 1,  having 
taken  the  business  of  his  predecessor,  Fuller,  who  had  been  here 
since  1796. 

About  thirty  years  ago,  when  the  roof  was  slated,  the  old  English 
slates  were  found  to  be  fastened  with  wrought  nails,  such  as  were 
in  use  generally  in  houses  of  the  period. 

The  second  story  of  the  building  has  undergone  but  little 
change.     The  old  central  stairway  gave  place  to  a  narrower  one 


Marshall's  Lane.  ^^ 

in  1852,  when  Mr.  Wadsworth  took  out  the  old  windows.  The 
window-seats  remain,  and  some  of  the  inside  shutters  and  the 
mantels,  carved  with  classic  urns  and  festooning.  A  transom 
window  retains  its  old  glass  setting,  and  the  doors  still  swing  on 
their  quaint  wrought-iron  hinges,  and  are  fastened  with  brass  but- 
tons. In  two  of  the  rooms,  the  large  pine  panels  of  the  wainscoting 
are  in  fine  preservation. 

The  right-hand  side  of  the  house  is  on  Creek  Square,  another 
of  the  narrow  lanes  of  this  quarter,  named  from  the  old  Mill 
Creek  a  few  rods  away,  to  which  it  formerly  led.  On  this  lane 
may  still  be  seen  the  block  of  brick  dwelling-houses  built  by  the 
Hancock  family,  and  known  for  many  years  as  Hancock  Row. 
They  are  now  used  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

The  detached  side  view  in  the  picture  is  taken  from  Creek 
Lane,  looking  up,  with  the  Marshall  House  and  a  part  of  Hancock 
Row  on  the  risrht. 

At  the  end  of  Marshall's  Lane,  on  the  corner  of  Union  Street, 
stands  a  low-studded,  three-story  brick  building,  worn  and  wrinkled 
with  age,  evidently  the  oldest  house  on  the  street.  This  has  been 
for  several  generations  the  property  of  the  Capen  family.  Mr. 
Atwood  has  occupied  it  as  an  oyster  house  since  1826,  —  an  un- 
usual length  of  tenancy.  It  was  previously  the  well-known  dry- 
goods  store  of  Thomas  Capen,  who  imported  silks  and  other  stuffs 
in  large  quantity,  to  meet  the  demands  of  his  nourishing  trade. 
Here,  in  the  autumn  of  1769,  "at  the  sign  of  the  cornfields," 
young  Benjamin  Thompson,  of  Woburn,  afterwards  famous  as 
Count  Rumford,  was  apprenticed  as  a  clerk  to  Hopestill  Capen, 
the  father  of  Thomas.  Here,  also,  at  the  same  time,  Samuel 
Parkman,  the  distinguished  merchant,  learned  his  trade. 


34 


Marshall's  Lane. 


This  corner  is  also  interesting  in  connection  with  the  "  Massa- 
chusetts Spy,"  which  in  its  infancy  had  been  printed  at  Mr. 
Fowle's  office,  in  Salem  Street,  but  which,  during  most  of  its 
career  as  a  Boston  weekly,  —  from  1771  to  April,  1775,  —  was 
published  here,  "  at  the  south  corner  of  Marshall's  Lane,  leading 
from  Mill  Bridge  into  Union  Street."  The  bold  and  uncom- 
promising spirit  of  its  manager,  Isaiah  Thomas,  was  distinctly 
seen  in  the  early  motto  of  the  paper,  "  Open  to  all  parties,  but 
influenced  by  none."  On  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities,  the 
"Spy"  was  removed  to  Worcester,  where  it  has  since  remained. 


TOmjtvj!  v 


THE    BOSTON    STONE. 


IRECTLY  opposite  the  restaurant  of  the  Marshall 
House,  embedded  in  the  wall  against  the  sidewalk,  is 
a  singular  relic,  which,  if  it  were  not  in  such  an  out- 
of-the-way  place,  would  have  attracted  more  general 
attention.  The  name  and  date  cut  upon  it — Boston  Stone  1737 
—  do  not  explain  its  meaning,  but  only  increase  the  desire  of  the 
curious  to  know  what  it  is,  and  why  it  is  there. 

Nearly  fifty  years  ago  the  present  brick  building,  with  its  front 
on  Hanover  Street  and  Boston  Stone  in  its  rear,  took  the  place  of 
a  wooden  structure  which  had  been  in  the  Howe  and  Green 
families  for  about  a  century.  The  new  owner,  James  Davis, 
finding  on  the  premises  a  stone  of  unusual  size  and  shape,  ascer- 
tained from  Mrs.  Green,  who  was  then  quite  aged,  that  her  father, 
Joseph  Howe,  on  purchasing  the  estate  about  1737,  had  found  the 
same  large  hollow  stone  at  the  bottom  of  his  yard.  There  were 
many  conjectures  at  the  time,  she  said,  respecting  its  origin, — 
some  supposing  it  to  have  been  left  by  the  Indians,  others  that  it 
had  been  used  for  grinding  paint.  The  latter  impression  prevailed, 
especially  as  the  muller  was  found  near  by;  and  it  has  since  been 
generally  believed  that  the  stone  was  brought  from  England  about 
1700,  at  the  time  when    the    Painters'  Arms   were    procured    for 


4Q 


The  Boston  Stone. 


the  same  corner.  Mr.  Howe  decided  to  use  it  as  a  protection 
for  the  corner  of  his  house  against  passing  vehicles.  A  neighbor 
who  had  lived  in  England  and  had  seen  the  famous  London 
Stone  in  front  of  Saint  Swithin's  Church  (supposed  to  be  an 
old  Roman  milestone),  which  had  long  been  a  popular  designa- 
tion for  places  of  business  in  the  vicinity,  proposed  that  M  Boston 
Stone  "  be  inscribed  upon  this  one,  in  order  to  make  it  a  good 
landmark.  The  suggestion  was  followed ;  and  the  stone  thus 
named  served  as  a  convenient  sign  for  the  old  establishment  at 
the  corner,  and  was  also  sometimes  used  as  a  starting-point  for 
surveyors.  It  was  often  repainted  by  Mr.  Green,  and  was  remem- 
bered by  many  of  our  older  citizens. 
When  the  present  building  was 
erected,  this  ancient  relic,  or  rather 
a  fragment  of  it,  was  deemed  worthy 
of  a  place  in  the  wall,  together  with 
its  old  companion,  the  grinder,  which 
was  found  buried  in  the  yard.  The 
original  mill,  it  is  said,  had  a  capa- 
city of  about  two  barrels. 

From  Boston  Stone  there  is  a 
short  cut  to  North  Street  by  Creek 
Lane  and  Scottows  Alley,  leaving 
Hatters'  Square  on  the  left  and  Salt 
Lane  on  the  right  This  is  one  of 
the  oldest  and  narrowest  byways  in 
the    city,  —  an    unchanged    remnant 

l5I^^?^^o^V.         of  the  colonial  time* 


* 


THE    PAINTERS'  ARMS 


T  is  so  seldom  that  any  building  in  Boston  is  marked 
by  a  coat  of  arms,  that  the  attention  of  an  interested 
observer  is  naturally  drawn  to  one  which  is  seen  on 
the  front  of  the  brick  store  at  153  Hanover  Street. 
It  is  but  a  small  object,  to  be  sure,  and  few  of  the  thousands 
who  daily  pass  by  ever  notice  it,  especially  as  its  meaning  is 
unintelligible  to  most  of  them.  But,  upon  examination,  the 
heraldic  device  will  reveal  something  of  its  origin  and  former 
use.  It  is  an  excellent  piece  of  wood-carving,  and  represents 
the  arms  of  the  ancient  guild  of  Painters,  as  granted  by  Thomas 
Holme,  Clarencieux,  i486,  and  confirmed  by  Thomas  Benolt, 
Clarencieux,  1531.  The  Painters  and  Stainers  of  London  were 
united  into  one  company  in  1502,  and  incorporated  under  Queen 
Elizabeth  in   1582. 

The  shield  is  quarterly,  first  and  fourth,  azure,  three  escutch- 
eons argent,  two  and  one ;  second  and  third,  azure,  a  chevron 
between  three  phoenix  heads,  erased  or.  The  crest  represents, 
on  a  wreath,  a  phoenix  close  or,  in  flames  proper.  The  supporters 
are  two  leopards  argent,  spotted  with  various  colors,  ducally 
crowned,  collared,  and  chained  or. 

The  motto  of  this  consolidated  company  was  "  Amor  et 
obediential  —  "  Love  and  obedience. "  The  Painters'  Company  of 
Exeter,  bearing  the  same  arms,  had  for  its  motto,  "  Amor  queat 


46  The  Painters    Arms. 

obediential  which  has  been  loosely  rendered,  in  heraldic  glossaries, 
"  Love  produces  obedience,"  but  which  more  strictly  would  be, 
"  Let  love  prevail  (prove  itself)  by  obedience."  The  date  at  the 
top  (1701)  is  readily  deciphered;  but  the  three  cabalistic  letters 
which  divide  it  (C,  T,  and  K)  have  perplexed  all  who  have  sought 
to  ascertain  their  meaning.  On  the  supposition  that  they  might 
be  the  initial  letters,  according  to  early  usage,  of  the  family  en- 
gaged in  the  painters  business  here  at  that  time,  the  writer  made 
a  diligent  search  to  find  out,  if  possible,  who  they  were.  The 
prospects  were  discouraging.  The  owners  of  the  estate  could 
give  no  clew  to  them.  Tradition,  which  sometimes  preserves 
local  facts  tolerably  well,  was  silent  upon  this.  Directories  were 
not  published  in  Boston  till  nearly  a  hundred  years  later.  The 
excellent  reports  of  the  Record  Commissioners,  which  clear  up  so 
many  doubts,  did  not  furnish  the  key  to  this.  But  the  Suffolk 
Deeds  at  last  told  the  story.  In  the  year  1693  *t  appears  that 
one  Thomas  Child,  "  painter  stainer,  and  Katherine  his  wife," 
held  "  a  certain  piece  of  land  joining  the  creek  that  leads  from 
the  water  mills,  bounded  on  the  N.  E.  by  the  said  mill  creek 
32 >4  feet;  on  the  N.  W.  in  part  by  the  brew  house  belonging 
to  Mr.  Joseph  Lynd,"  etc.  The  details  of  this  and  other  purchases 
made  by  said  Child  in  this  immediate  vicinity,  and  "  on  a  certain 
street  or  highway  leading  from  the  Dock  to  Mill  Bridge,"  furnish 
the  precise  proof  needed  to  explain  this  inscription.  Thomas 
Child  had  lived  in  Roxbury,  and  had  bought  the  above  estate 
in  1692  of  John  Wainwright  of  Ipswich.  In  1701  he  sold  a  small 
tract  of  land  in  Roxbury  to  Henry  Gibbs,  "  late  citizen  and 
plasterer  of  London."  Whether  this  Gibbs  obtained  the  Painters' 
Arms    for    his   friend    Child    that    year   in    England,   may  not    be 


The  Painters    Arms.  47 

determined;  but  the  three  mystic  letters  upon  it  are  no  longer 
in  doubt.  Thomas  Child  was  the  painter,  and  Katherine  was  his 
wife.  The  arms  have  fortunately  clung  to  this  spot  through  the 
various  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the  buildings  and  in  the 
trades  of  their  occupants.  In  Boston  there  is  probably  but  one 
other  instance  (that  of  the  Wadsworth  tablet  in  North  Street) 
of  a  sign  still  exposed  to  view,  which  was  doing  duty  in  the  same 
place  at  the  beginning  of   the  last  century. 

Another  specimen  of  the  Painters'  Arms,  though  without 
motto,  crest,  or  initials,  may  be  seen  at  the  rooms  of  the  Bos- 
tonian  Society,  in  the  Old  State  House.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  England  ;  and  the  date  (1755),  which  was  added  later, 
probably  indicates  the  establishment  of  the  business  by  John  Gore, 
the  Governor's  father,  who  was  a  painter  and  merchant  in  Boston, 
with  a  "shop  at  the  sign  of  the  Painters'  Arms  in  Queen  Street." 
The  sign  afterwards  belonged  to  the  Governor's  brother  Samuel,  a 
Boston  painter,  who  left  it  to  his  son  Christopher,  who  succeeded 
him  in  the  business,  and  had  the  arms  hung  over  his  shop  in 
Scollay's  Building.  Charles  Redding  bought  it  at  the  auction 
sale  of  Christopher  Gore's  effects. 

Sewall's  Diary,  under  date  of  Nov.  10,  1706,  contains  the 
following  :  — 

"  This  morning  Tom  Child,  the  Painter,  died. 

Tom  Child  had  often  painted  Death, 

But  never  to  the  Life,  before  ; 
Doing  it  now,  he  's  out  of  Breath  ; 

He  paints  it  once,  and  paints  no  more." 


Hanover  Street  has  been  essentially  made  over  in  our  day ;  but 
there  are  a  few  of  the  earlier  dwellings  still  standing,  of  which  the 
above  is  a  fair  representative.  Its  antiquity  appears  in  the  walls 
and  chimneys,  and  especially  in  the  solid  window-frames  of  various 
shapes,  some  of  which  are  very  near  the  ground. 

This  property  belonged  to  the  Othemans,  an  influential  Hu- 
guenot family  who  have  furnished  several  preachers  for  the 
Methodist    Church. 


FANEUIL    HALL 


O  building  in  Boston  has  been  more  widely  known  or 
more  intimately  identified  with  great  occasions  in 
our  history  than  Faneuil  Hall.  Standing  quite  apart 
from  other  buildings,  and  devoted  to  market  purposes 
and  great  popular  gatherings,  it  has  long  been  a  kind  of  forum  in 
which  all  great  questions  of  local  or  national  importance  have  been 
freely  discussed,  and  from  which  has  gone  forth  an  influence 
which  has  helped  to  create  the  sentiment  and  mould  the  destiny 
of  the  nation. 

In  the  early  colonial  period  there  was  no  regular  market-house 
in  Boston.  Provisions  were  carried  from  house  to  house,  or  sold 
at  certain  convenient  points  in  the  streets,  as  is  still  the  case  in 
many  European  towns. 

Thursday  was  the  usual  market-day,  when  the  ordinary  business 
of  the  week  was  transacted,  and  when  the  Thursday  lecture,  intro- 
duced by  Mr.  Cotton,  became  one  of  the  attractions  of  the  town. 
With  the  increase  of  the  population  came  a  natural  demand  for 
improved  market  facilities;  and  three  temporary  structures  were 
erected  :  one  at  the  Old  North  Square,  one  near  Liberty  Tree,  and 
a  central  one  near  the  Town  Dock,  where  Faneuil  Hall  now  stands. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  conservative  element  was  so  strong  in 
opposition  to  these  innovations,  that  the  latter  building  was  pulled 


54  Faneuil  Hall. 

down  one  night  by  a  party  of  men  in  disguise,  and  no  attempt  was 
made  to  reconstruct  it  for  several  years. 

In  1740  Peter  Faneuil,  a  Huguenot  resident  of  Boston,  who 
had  recently  inherited  a  large  fortune  from  his  uncle,  offered  to 
build  a  market-house  at  his  own  expense,  and  give  it  to  the  town, 
provided  they  would  pass  a  vote  agreeing  to  accept  and  maintain 
it  under  proper  regulations.  Accordingly,  a  town-meeting  was 
called  to  consider  the  matter,  and  the  thanks  of  the  meeting  were 
unanimously  extended  to  Mr.  Faneuil,  for  his  generous  offer.  But 
upon  the  question  of  accepting  it,  there  was  such  a  division  of 
opinion,  that  the  vote  stood  367  in  favor,  and  360  against  it. 
Thus  narrowly,  by  only  seven  votes  in  a  large  meeting,  did  the 
project  succeed,  so  slow  were  the  people  to  see  the  advantages  of 
the  new  system. 

We  can  hardly  conceive  of  Boston  now  without  its  Faneuil 
Hall ;  but  the  crowds  who  daily  gather  about  it  little  imagine  how 
much  they  are  indebted  to  the  energy  of  its  earliest  friends  in 
that  critical  moment  when  its  very  existence  was  hanging  in  the 
balance. 

The  structure  was  completed  in  1742,  John  Smibert,  the  portrait 
painter,  being  the  architect,  and  Samuel  Ruggles  the  builder.  Mr. 
Faneuil  enlarged  his  original  plan,  and  added  a  hall  above  the  mar- 
ket, —  an  additional  proof  of  his  munificence  which  was  gratefully 
recognized  by  the  town  in  its  public  acceptance  of  the  gift,  on 
which  occasion  the  name  "Faneuil  Hall  "  was  given  to.it  to  be 
retained  forever ;  and,  "  as  a  further  testimony  of  respect,  it  was 
voted  that  Mr.  Faneuil's  picture  be  drawn  at  full  length  and  placed 
in  the  hall."  The  town  also  added  the  Faneuil  arms,  beautifully 
carved  and  gilt  by  Moses  Deshon, 


Faneuil  Hall.  55 

The  building  was  constructed  of  brick,  two  stories  and  a  half 
high,  one  hundred  feet  long  and  forty  feet  wide,  with  open 
arches  below  and  a  tower  above,  and  was  in  many  respects  the 
most  important  edifice  in  the  town.  Its  architecture  was  con- 
sidered imposing  and  ornate.  The  spacious  hall  would  contain 
a  thousand  persons,  and  there  were  various  rooms  besides.  The 
town-meetings  were  held  here  after  this,  and  the  selectmen's 
offices  were  removed  from  the  old  town-house  in  King,  now 
State,  Street,  which  was  left  chiefly  to  the  legislature  and  the 
courts. 

Most  unexpectedly,  a  few  months  after  the  building  was  com- 
pleted, its  founder  died  ;  and  the  first  oration  pronounced  in  the 
hall  was  his  own  eulogy  by  John  Lovell,  the  well-known  master  of 
the  Latin  School. 

In  January,  1761,  the  interior  of  the  building  caught  fire,  and 
nothing  but  the  bare  walls  remained.  The  records,  fortunately, 
and  some  other  documents  were  saved.  The  hall  was  rebuilt  on 
the  old  plan,  and  opened  again  in  March,  1763,  when  James  Otis, 
Jr.,  delivered  the  dedicatory  address.  The  cause  of  the  patriots 
was  now  making  such  progress  in  Boston  that  large  meetings 
were  held  in  Faneuil  Hall  to  give  expression  to  the  popular 
feeling ;  and  hence  arose  the  name  "  Cradle  of  Liberty,"  which 
it  has  borne  ever  since,  and  which  it  so  well  deserves.  In 
March,  1767,  the  hall  was  illuminated  by  vote  of  the  town,  to 
commemorate  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  The  following  year, 
a  convention  of  representatives  from  nearly  all  the  towns  in  the 
Province  was  in  session  here  for  a  week  in  September,  to  consider 
what  measures  could  be  taken  in  view  of  the  expected  arrival  of  a 
large  force  of  British  troops.     Governor  Bernard  refused  to  recog- 


56  Faneuil  Hall. 

nize  the  convention,  although  its  proceedings  were  throughout 
orderly  and  constitutional.  The  fleet  arrived  immediately  after; 
and  the  Fourteenth  Regiment,  Colonel  Dalrymple,  was  quartered 
in  Faneuil  Hall  for  a  month,  by  order  of  the  Governor,  though  not 
without  a  vigorous  protest  from  the  people. 

During  the  stormy  period  preceding  the  outbreak  of  the  Revo- 
lution, many  notable  town-meetings  were  convened  here,  as  on 
the  occasion  of  the  Boston  Massacre  and  on  the  arrival  of  the 
"detestable"  tea.  But  the  hall  at  that  time  could  not  hold  as 
many  people  as  the  Old  South,  and  this  explains  why  some  of 
the  large  meetings  adjourned  to  the  latter  place. 

During  the  siege  of  Boston  the  building  was  at  first  used  as 
a  storehouse  for  arms  and  furniture,  and  then  converted  into  a 
theatre  for  the  diversion  of  the  troops.  Among  the  performances, 
the  tragedy  of  "  Zara  "  and  the  comedy  of  "  The  Busybody  "  were 
frequently  given ;  and,  once  at  least,  a  local  farce  written  by 
General  Burgoyne,  and  entitled  "  The  Blockade  of  Boston."  This 
would  be  an  interesting  relic  of  the  period  if  it  could  be  found,  but 
it  does  not  appear  ever  to  have  been  printed.  After  the  evacuation 
by  the  British,  the  portraits  of  Peter  Faneuil,  George  II.,  Governor 
Shirley,  General  Conway,  and  Colonel  Barre,  which  had  hung  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  were  missing,  nor  has  any  trace  of  them  ever  been 
discovered.*1 

*  It  is  not  improbable  that  they  were  mutilated  by  the  royal  troops,  who  were  engaged  in 
many  insubordinate  acts  towards  the  close  of  the  siege.  To  prevent  such  conduct,  General 
Howe  was  obliged  to  issue  orders  declaring  that  the  first  soldier  caught  plundering  houses 
would  be  hanged  upon  the  spot.  He  also  offered  rewards  for  the  conviction  of  any  persons 
found  cutting  or  defacing  the  King's  or  Queen's  picture  in  the  Town  House,  —  "viz.:  for  the 
King's  picture,  £50;  for  the  Queen's  picture,  ,£50;  for  other  pictures,  records,  and  public 
papers,  ^"20." 


Faneuil  Hall.  57 

In  the  year  1806,  with  the  new  era  of  prosperity,  the  hall  was 
very  much  enlarged  by  doubling  the  width  and  adding  a  third 
story.  This  of  course  has  greatly  changed  the  appearance  of 
the  structure,  although  its  original  style  has  been  fairly  well 
preserved. 

The  interior,  with  its  lofty  galleries  and  classic  columns,  has 
become  well  known  to  thousands.  Here  the  great  questions 
of  the  century,  touching  the  commercial,  political,  and  philan- 
thropic interests  of  Boston,  have  been  eloquently  discussed  by 
the  foremost  orators  of  the  time.  Many  a  Bostonian  can  recall 
the  occasions  when  he  has  stood  on  this  sanded  floor  for  hours, 
with  a  patient  and  patriotic  crowd,  applauding  the  sentiments  of 
one  speaker  after  another  as  they  came  forward  upon  the  plat- 
form and  emphasized  the  issues  of  the  hour.  Here  great  pub- 
lic receptions  have  been  given  to  distinguished  guests,  together 
with  many  civic  and  military  banquets.  Here,  formerly,  were 
held  the  industrial  exhibitions  of  the  Massachusetts  Charitable 
Mechanic  Association.  It  is  emphatically  the  people's  hall,  and 
will  always  remain  so ;  for,  by  a  provision  in  the  city  charter, 
neither  Faneuil  Hall  nor  Boston  Common  can  ever  be  sold  or 
let  for  money. 

The  collection  of  portraits  attracts  many  visitors.  On  the 
west  wall  is  Healy's  large  painting  of  Webster  replying  to 
Hayne  in  the  Senate,  and  near  it  are  Stuart's  Washington,  and 
Copley's  Hancock,  Warren,  and  Samuel  Adams.  There  are 
also  portraits  of  Peter  Faneuil,  John  Quincy  Adams,  Edward 
Everett,  Governor  Andrew,  Senator  Wilson,  Robert  Treat  Paine, 
Caleb  Strong,  Commodore  Preble,  General  Knox,  Rufus  Choate, 
President    Lincoln,    Anson    Burlingame,    Admiral    Winslow,    and 


58  Faneuil  Hall. 

Wendell  Phillips.  Back  of  the  rostrum  are  busts  of  John  Adams, 
Samuel  Adams,  and  Daniel  Webster.  The  clock  was  presented 
to   the   city  by   the  school    children  of   Boston  in  1850. 

The  upper  hall  has  been  chiefly  used  as  an  armory  by  various 
military  corps,  especially  of  late  by  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company,  the  oldest  military  organization  in  the 
country. 

The  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  held  some  of  its  early 
meetings  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  upper  story  in  the  old 
building,  from  1792  to  1794. 

The  grasshopper  vane  is  an  interesting  survivor  of  the  former 
structure.  It  was  made  by  Shem  Drowne,  the  well-known 
coppersmith  of  the  last  century,  who  also  made  and  repaired 
the  cockerel  vane  for  the  Second  Church.  The  famous  Indian 
vane  on  the  Province  House  was  also  his  handiwork.  He  died 
in    1774,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

The  accompanying  sketch  was  obtained  by  climbing  the  tower 
to  the  small  opening  by  the  flag-staff.  The  insect  is  remarkably 
well  preserved,  and  shows  the  fidelity  with  which  it  was  made  ; 
all  the  details  being  carefully  worked  out  in  copper,  as  if  they  were 
to  be  closely  inspected.  The  eyes  are  of  glass,  and  shine  in  the 
sunlight  with  great  brilliancy.  The  grasshopper  is  supposed  to 
have  been  suggested  by  the  vane  on  the  Royal  Exchange  of 
London.  It  was  also  the  device  for  the  vane  on  the  summer- 
house  of  the   Faneuil  estate  on   Tremont  Street. 

The  quaint  inscription  on  the  following  page  is  taken  from 
the  original  document  found  in  the  grasshopper,  and  now  ex- 
hibited among  the  curiosities  of  the  Bostonian  Society.  It  is 
much   worn  and  not  altogether  legible. 


Faneuil  Hall. 


59 


Shem  Drowne  made  itt 
May  25-  1742 

To  my  Brethren  & 
Fellow  Grasshoppers 

Fell  in  ye  year   1753   Novr    18  early  in  ye   Morning 

by  a  great  Earthquake 

by  my  old  Master  above 

Again  Like  to    have    met  with    my   Utter    Ruin    by  Fire 
but    hopping   Timely  from    my   Publick    Scituation 
Came    of  with   Broken    bones    &    much  Bruised  — 

Cured    and    fixed       .... 
old    Master's   Son  Thomas  Drowne  June  28th   1768 
and    Though    I    will    promise  to 
Discharge    my  Office,    yet    I    shall  vary  as  ye   Wind  — 


ADMIRAL    VERNON 


fmfy 


M 


This  sprightly  little  figure  of  the  hero  of 
Porto  Bello  has  stood  so  long  in  its  place  at 
the  lower  end  of  State  Street,  that  it  deserves 
honorable  mention  among  the  antiquities  of 
Boston.  Of  all  the  old  object-signs  which 
made  our  streets  so  picturesque  in  the  last 
century,  this  is  almost  the  only  one  remaining. 
And  it  deserves  to  remain  ;  for  it  tells  a  story 
of  the  time  when  Massachusetts  men  served 
under  the  gallant  Admiral  on  the  Spanish 
main,  when  one  of  the  officers  was  Lawrence 
Washington,  who,  in  honor  of  his  commander, 
"  Mount  Vernon  "  to  the  famous  estate  on  the 


gave  the  name  of 
Potomac. 

The  figure  also  suggests  the  origin  of  a  word  now,  happily,  in 
less  common  use  than  it  once  was,  —  the  word  "  grog."  The 
Admiral,  it  seems,  used  to  appear  in  foul  weather  in  a  coarse 
grogram  (gros  grain)  cloak,  from  which  he  was  called  by  the 
sailors  "  Old  Grog."  And  the  name  thus  given  to  him  was 
soon  transferred  to  the  beverage  of  rum  and  water  which  he 
was  accustomed  to  deal  out  to  his  men. 


Admiral    Vernon.  61 

There  was  a  tavern  bearing  the  Admiral's  name  in  1743,  and 
for  many  years  afterward,  on  the  east  corner  of  Merchants'  Row 
and  State  Street,  near  Peter  Faneuil's  warehouse. 

This  familiar  figure,  with  the  quadrant  in  hand,  has  stood  guard 
where    it    now    is    since    1770,    when    William    Williams    kept    a 


^"^k 


shop  here  for  the  sale  of  all  kinds  of  mathematical  instruments, 
stationery,  etc.,  including  "  sand-glasses  from  two  hours  to  a 
quarter  of  a  minute,  seamen's  assistants,  calendars,  ink-powder, 
quills  and  paper,  slates,  pencils,  jack-knives,  shoe  and  knee 
buckles,"  etc. 

In  1794  Samuel  Thaxter,  who  married  a  niece  of  Williams, 
succeeded  him  in  the  business,  which  afterward  descended  to 
a  son  and  grandson,  remaining  in  the  family  to  the  present 
time. 

Hawthorne,  in  his  "  Mosses  from  an  Old  Manse,"  ascribes  this 
figure  to  Shem  Drowne,  who,  he  says,  was  the  first  American 
known  to  have  attempted  the  art  of  wood-carving  with  any  marked 
success.  His  ornamental  pump-heads,  urns,  gate-posts,  mantel- 
pieces, apothecaries'  mortars,  and  heads  of  Galen  and  Hippocrates 
were,  he  says,  well  known  throughout  the  town.  But  it  was  by  his 
figure-heads  for  vessels  that  he  achieved  his  widest  fame.  So 
clever  was  the  carver  in  this  line  of  work  that  the  artist  Copley  is 
said  to  have  often  visited  him  in  his  shop  to  watch  him,  especially, 
if  we  may  believe  the  legend,  as  he  wrought  into  life  the  famous 
figure   of  the  beautiful   and    mysterious   woman   destined   for   the 


62  Admiral  Vernon. 

prow  of  the  brig  "  Cynosure,"  whose  ambitious  captain  was  so 
anxious  to  keep  his  secret  from  the  townspeople.  Hawthorne 
imagines  this  captain,  whom  he  calls  Hunnewell,  and  whose  dress 
he  minutely  describes,  to  have  served  with  his  telescope  and  quad- 
rant as  a  model  for  our  little  figure  of  Admiral  Vernon. 

It  was  easy  for  the  romancer  to  extol  the  grace  and  loveliness  of 
the  fair  lady  of  Fayal  who  inspired  the  Boston  artificer  with  such 
marvellous  skill  while  fashioning  her  oaken  image  for  the  gallant 
ship,  and  we  may  well  regret  that  such  a  master-piece  of  the 
wooden  art  is  lost  to  us ;  but  since  it  was  the  little  Admiral  that 
furnished  Hawthorne  with  his  theme,  we  need  not  dwell  upon  its 
inferiority  as  a  piece  of  sculpture,  nor  call  it  one  of  Drownes 
"  progeny  of  blockheads."  Rather  let  us  salute  it,  as  we  pass 
down  State  Street,  with  that  respect  which  is  due  to  a  figure  which 
has  outlived  three  generations  of  men,  and  which  we  hope  may 
outlive  many  more. 

"  By  Time's  highway  ■ —  a  milestone  gray  — 

I  watch  the  world  march  by ; 
An  endless  stream  of  moving  men 

Rolls  on  beneath  mine  eye. 
Still,  still  they  go ;   where,  none  can  know ; 

And  when  one  wave  is  gone, 
Another,  and  another  yet, 

Comes  ever  surging  on." 


CORN    COURT. 


N  the  south  side  of  Faneuil  Hall  Square  a  narrow 
passage-way  leads  into  the  gloomy  recesses  of  a 
yard  of  irregular  proportions,  through  which  we  may 
pass  into  Merchants'  Row.  This  is  Corn  Court,  a 
name  known  now  to  few  Bostonians,  but  once  as  familiar  as 
the  Corn  Market  with  which  it  was  connected.  In  the  middle  of 
this  court  still  stands  the  oldest  inn  in  Boston,  a  building  which 
doubtless  owes  its  preservation  to  the  fact  that  it  does  not  stand 
upon  a  street. 

As  early  as  1634  Samuel  Cole  kept  a  public  house  within  these 
precincts,  but  his  spacious  grounds  have  long  been  obliterated 
by  the  sombre  pile  of  warehouses  which  completely  shut  in  the 
ancient  court  and  destroy  the  view  which  the  original  house 
must  have  commanded.  For  then  the  tide  came  up  into  the 
town  dock,  where  Faneuil  Hall  now  stands,  and  the  harbor  with 
its  shipping  must  have  been  distinctly  seen. 

It  was  a  convenient  spot  for  an  inn,  and  was  frequented  by 
many  strangers  from  the  beginning.  When  Governor  Vane  invited 
Miantonomoh,  the  Narraganset  Sachem,  to  Boston  in  October, 
1636,  he  entertained  the  chief's  party,  about  twenty  men,  at 
Mr.  Cole's. 


68  Corn   Court. 

In  August,  1637,  Lord  Leigh  found  such  a  comfortable  resting- 
place  here,  that  he  declined  Governor  Winthrop's  invitation  to 
his  house,  saying  that  he  did  not  wish  "  to  be  troublesome  to  any, 
and  the  house  where  he  was  was  so  well  governed  that  he 
could  be  as  private  there  as  elsewhere." 

This  Samuel  Cole  was  an  important  man  in  his  day,  being  for 
many  years  one  of  the  selectmen,  a  charter  member  of  the  Ancient 
and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  and  the  owner  of  considerable 
property  in  different  parts  of  the  town. 

Early  in  the  last  century  certain  portions  of  the  present  building 
were  constructed;  and  with  the  establishment  of  a  permanent 
market-house  near  by,  its  continued  patronage  was  made  sure. 

Like  the  Green  Dragon,  this  tavern  was  a  frequent  resort  of 
the  patriots  during  the  eventful  years  preceding  the  Revolution. 
The  old  hall  on  the  west  side  of  the  building  in  the  second  story, 
thirty-six  feet  long  by  sixteen  wide,  was  a  convenient  rendezvous 
for  the  discussion  of  political  grievances ;  and  here,  it  is  said,  the 
lighter  pastime  of  social  dancing  was  often  engaged  in  by  the 
young  people  of  those  days,  accompanied  by  the  skilful  violin 
of  old  African  Joe. 

On  the  election  of  John  Hancock  in  1780,  as  the  first  Governor 
of  the  State,  his  name  was  given  to  this  hostelry  ;  and  a  large  sign 
was  prepared,  with  the  Governor's  portrait  painted  upon  it  in  life 
size.  The  likeness  is,  to  this  day,  easily  recognized,  even  after 
a  century's  exposure  to  the  weather.  It  bears  a  resemblance  to 
the  well-known  portrait  by  Copley.  Hancock  was  a  friend  and 
patron  of  the  landlord,  John  Duggan,  who  often  supplied  him 
with  lemons  and  limes.  Duggan  held  a  commission  under  the 
Governor,  and  was  presented  by  him  with  a  sword  and  sash. 


Corn    Court.  69 

At  the  death  of  Hancock,  in  1793,  this  portrait-sign  -  was 
shrouded  for  many  days  in  crape  and  satin.  At  that  time  it 
swung  majestically  over  the  middle  of  the  court,  according  to 
the  old  custom,  from  a  huge  sign-post  planted  near  by.  It  hung 
there  until  about  forty  years  ago,  when  it  was  blown  down  in 
a  gale,  causing  the  death  of  a  person  walking  in  the  court.  After 
that  it  was  nailed  to  the  wall  under  the  third-story  windows.* 

Towards  the  close  of  the  last  century  this  inn  was  a  favorite 
place  with  foreigners,  especially  with  the  French.  Talleyrand  was 
here  in  the  summer  of  1794.  -John  Cheverus,  the  French  priest, 
who  came  to  this  country  to  escape  the  troubles  of  the  Revolution 
in  France,  and  who  was  afterwards  the  first  Roman  Catholic  Bishop 
of  Boston,  made  this  house  his  home  on  his  arrival  here,  in  1796. 
The  next  year  another  and  more  distinguished  exile,  Louis  Phi- 
lippe, tarried  here  during  a  part  of  his  visit  to  Boston,  under  the 
name  of  M.  d'Orleans.  In  the  old  coffee-room  he  discussed  French 
politics  with  the  Parisian  barber  and  dancing-master,  who  were 
inmates  of  the  house ;  and  here  he  met  Amblard,  the  tailor, 
through  whose  aid  he  gave  lessons  in  the  French  language  while 
awaiting  remittances  from  abroad. 

Both  Talleyrand  and  Louis  Philippe  were  frequent  visitors  at 
the  office  of  the  "  Centinel,"  in  State  Street,  where  they  found  the 
files  of  the  "  Moniteur,"  containing  the  latest  news  from  France.  So 
much  were  they  indebted  to  the  enterprising  editor,  Major  Russell, 
for  various  courtesies  during  their  stay,  that  they  left  with  him 
substantial  tokens  of  their  gratitude ;  Talleyrand  giving  him  a 
gold    snuff-box,  and    M.  d'Orleans    leaving  a  valuable  atlas,  both 

*  This  sign  now  hangs  among  the  trophies  of  the  Memorial  Hall  at  Lexington,  near  the  statue 
of  Governor  Hancock. 


jo  Corn    Court. 

of  which  were  highly  prized,  and  often  exhibited  by  the  Major. 
Many  years  after,  when  Louis  Philippe  came  to  the  throne, 
he  spoke  in  terms  of  commendation  of  this  ancient  inn  to 
several  Bostonians  who  were  presented  at  the  court  at  Saint 
Cloud. 

The  former  proprietors  used  to  point  out  the  bedstead  in  which 
Louis  Philippe  slept ;  the  nail  on  which  Washington  once  hung 
his  chapeau  and  surtout,  when  he  dined  in  the  front  parlor ;  the 
corner  where  Franklin  placed  his  umbrella ;  and  the  table  on 
which  he  used  to  read  the  "  Gazette  "  and  take  his  coffee. 

At  a  later  period,  when  the  two  political  parties,  styled  Federal 
and  Republican,  were  organized  by  the  adherents  of  the  elder 
Adams  on  the  one  side,  and  Jefferson  on  the  other,  the  friends 
of  the  former  met  at  this  house  each  week,  myin^  it  the  name 
of  "  Federal  Hall."  Major  Russell  was  prominent  in  these 
meetings,  ever  busy  with  his  voice,  as  he  was  with  his  pen,  in 
sustaining  Mr.  Adams. 

During  the  war  of  1812  the  house  was  frequented  by  many 
of  the  officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy ;  and  after  that  for  years 
it  was  a  resort  of  business  men,  coming  from  change  for  the 
noonday  punch,  which  the  hostess  was  famous  for  preparing.  This 
personage  was  for  more  than  fifty  years  (1 795-1847)  the  recog- 
nized head  of  the  establishment,  proving  in  many  ways  her 
capacity  for  the  position.  She  was  the  great-niece  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Spencer  Phips,  and  a  woman  of  unusual  energy  and 
attractiveness.  She  married  for  her  second  husband  William 
Brazer,  and  it  was  by  this  name  that  the  house  was  afterwards 
commonly  known.  Other  and  larger  hotels  have  long  since 
replaced  this  in   the    public  favor,  but  the  decrepit  old  tavern  in 


Corn   Court.  7 1 

Corn   Court  outranks  them   all   in   the   interest   that   comes   from 
weight  of  years  and  ample  legendary  lore.* 

There  is  perhaps  no  better  illustration  in  Boston  of  the  old 
English  coffee-house  such  as  Dickens  describes,  and  such  as 
travellers  may  still  see  in  provincial  towns  in  England.  You 
enter  by  the  door  in  the  corner,  and  pass  into  a  large  ancient 
room,  very  dingy  and  very  low-studded.  The  low,  square  windows, 
large  as  they  are,  admit  but  little  light,  so  completely  is  the  build- 
ing walled  in  by  the  surrounding  warehouses.  The  uneven  sanded 
floor  of  a  few  years  ago,  worn  out  by  use  and  scrubbing,  has  had 
to  give  place  to  a  new  and  more  pretentious  one  of  an  inlaid 
pattern,  which  does  not  harmonize  with  the  rude  simplicity  of 
everything  else  on  the  premises.  The  old  Colonial  chairs  and 
tables  which  were  used  by  so  many  celebrities  are  no  longer  here, 
though  some  of  them  are  preserved  by  the  family  of  the  former 
owner. 

Such  is  the  spell  of  the  place,  one  can  easily  imagine  that  the 
men  sitting  here  and  talking  so  busily,  if  they  only  had  wigs  and 
three-cornered  hats,  might  be  discussing  the  Boston  Massacre  or 
the  destruction  of  the  tea.  One  thing  is  certain,  these  walls  have 
heard  a  good  deal  said  on  those  subjects ;  and  they  are  not  alto- 
gether silent  to-day,  if  we  are  only  in  the  mood  to  hear  them. 

The  tavern  is  four  stories  high  and  built  mainly  of  brick,  though 
the  eastern  side  is  of  wood.  Several  of  the  windows  are  irregular 
in  shape  and  size.  On  the  roof  is  stretched  a  clothes-line,  where 
the  linen  can  occasionally  woo  the  sun,  which  has  no  more  chance 


*  See  a  former  novel  by  Ingraham  entitled,  "  Brigantine  ;  "  also  G.  P.  Lathrop's  article  on 
"Talleyrand's  Penknife"  in  "  Appleton's  Journal,"  May,  1874;  and  an  article  by  the  late  William 
Bra/.er  Duggan,  M.D.,  in  the  Quincy  "  Patriot "  for  August  28,  1852. 


72 


Corn  Court. 


to  shine  in  the  depths  of  the  court  below  than  it  has  in  the  valley 
of  Zermatt. 

Threading  our  way  out  of  these  unfamiliar  mazes  we  soon  pass 
into  Merchants  Row,  remembering  that  on  the  left-hand  corner  of 
the  court  was  once  transacted  the  business  of  the  Custom  House 
under  the  State  government,  when  James  Lord  was  the  Collector, 
previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  United  States  Custom  House 
in  1789,  in  the  upper  part  of  State  Street. 


THE   SUN   TAVERN. 


HE  antiquity  of  this  building  is  unquestioned.  It 
speaks  for  itself,  both  within  and  without.  Its  tim- 
bers, its  windows,  its  cellar,  all  seem  to  belong  to  a 
period  as  far  back  as  1690,  the  date  inscribed  upon 
the  tablet.  Since  the  demolition  of  the  old  Feather  Store  this  has 
been  the  last  survivor  of  the  earlier  landmarks  around  the  dock. 
Standing  on  one  of  the  busiest  corners  in  the  town,  it  has  always 
been  a  conspicuous  object,  and  has  served  a  great  variety  of  uses. 
As  a  residence,  a  tavern,  a  grocery,  and  a  market,  it  has  seen  prob- 
ably as  much  of  life  as  any  house  that  was  ever  built  in  Boston. 
Older  by  half  a  century  than  Faneuil  Hall,  which  overshadows  it, 
and  possessing  a  pedigree  of  no  mean  character,  it  deserves  a 
wider  celebrity  than  it  has  yet  acquired. 

Originally  it  was  only  thirty  feet  from  the  dock,  and  the  view 
over  the  water,  enlivened  by  the  shipping,  must  have  been  one  of 
the  principal  attractions  of  the  place.  In  171  2  this  was  the  dwell- 
ing of  Thomas  Phillips,  who  obtained  leave  to  lay  a  drain  from  his 
cellar  across  the  highway,  "provided  that  he  do  the  same  with 
expedition  and  make  the  way  good  again."  At  that  time  the  house 
was  already  known  as  the  Sun  Tavern  ;  and  ten  years  previously 
Phillips  had  taken  out  his  license.  Samuel  Mears  was  the  propri- 
etor in  1724.     On  a  plan  of  Dock  Square  made  in   1732,  and  still 


80  The  Sun   Tavern, 

preserved  in  the  City  Hall,  the  tavern  can  be  easily  located.  In 
1 74 1  it  was  conveyed  by  Thomas  Valentine,  of  Hopkinton,  to 
Joseph  Jackson,  for  ,£2,475  "  in  g°°d  bills  of  credit  on  the  Prov- 
ince." Captain  James  Day  kept  the  Sun  Tavern  in  1755.  Then 
came  Paix  (Peace)  Cazneau,  the  son  of  Paix  and  Margaret  (Ger- 
maine)  Cazneau,  the  Huguenots  from  Rochelle  who  had  settled 
with  the  colony  at  Oxford,  Massachusetts. 

Cazneau  made  the  Sun  Tavern  a  favorite  resort  with  many  of 
the  young  men  of  Boston,  who  were  attracted  not  only  by  the 
cheer  which  he  dispensed,  but  by  the  agreeable  society  of  his 
daughters,  two  of  whom  were  married  in  its  hospitable  parlor  to 
persons  of  distinction.  Susannah  became  the  wife  of  Colonel 
William  Palfrey,  the  Revolutionary  patriot  and  grandfather  of  the 
historian,  John  G.  Palfrey;  and  Elizabeth  married  John  Fleet, 
the  enterprising  printer,  whose  descendants  are  glad  to  recall  the 
memories  of  this  ancient  hostelry. 

Paix  Cazneau  had  a  nephew,  Isaac,  who  became  a  sea-captain 
and  sailed  in  the  employ  of  John  Hancock,  enjoying  much  of  his 
confidence.  He  was  in  Boston  during  the  siege,  looking  after  his 
patron's  property  so  far  as  he  was  permitted  by  the  British.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Lash,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Lash,  a  boat-builder 
at  the  North  End.  The  descendants  of  Margaret  Germaine  have 
become  very  numerous,  though  chiefly  through  the  female  branches, 
so  that  the  name  of  Cazneau  is  now  quite  uncommon. 

The  Sun  Tavern  was  for  many  years  a  noted  place  for  clubs. 
The  Scots'  Charitable  Society  held  their  quarterly  meetings  here 
for  awhile  after  1756,  when  they  found  the  Crown  Coffee  House, 
where  they  had  previously  met,  at  the  head  of  Long  Wharf,  too 
small  for  their  accommodation.     At  this  time,  under  the  long  and 


■vvV"-*' 


Svrveyctfor  the  Hon.  HENRYjACKSON  Esc^  ^«.  Z2> /jy. 

3y   OJgooof  Carltton. 


Explanation. 
•A.Manfion-houfe. 
B.  Kitchen. 

C   SunTavern. 

D.  HouPe  occupied  by"Meff? 

Win  fir;  p  &  Janes. 

E.Wood[k*d 

T.  Another  (Vied. 

0.  Small  Oud. 

H.  Purnp 

The  clotted  line,  a  fence. 


'Ittf 


The  Sun   Tavern.  81 

efficient  presidency  of  John  Erving,  the  Society,  finding  that  the 
tavern  "  reckonings  "  had  become  too  great  a  draft  upon  their 
funds,  voted  that  each  member  should  pay  a  "  pistreen  "  at  each 
regular  meeting,  five  ninths  of  which,  or  sixpence  sterling,  was  to 
go  to  the  poor  of  the  Society,  and  the  remainder  to  the  tavern. 

Political  questions  did  not  suffer  for  want  of  discussion  in  those 
days,  and  the  public-houses  became  the  chief  reliance  of  the  peo- 
ple for  expressing  their  sentiments  and  determining  their  action. 
Many  of  the  resolutions  which  passed  the  large  town  meetings  in 
Faneuil  Hall  had  been  previously  agreed  upon  by  the  patriots,  in 
the  smaller  assemblies  of  the  taverns  and  the  workshops. 

During  the  siege  the  British  took  possession  of  this  building, 
and  changed  the  name,  it  is  said,  to  the  King's  Arms.  After  the 
evacuation  it  continued  under  the  old  name  for  many  years.  In 
1794,  upon  the  death  of  Joseph  Jackson,  the  estate  was  sold  at 
public  auction  for  ,£1,340,  to  David  Bradlee,  by  the  executors. 
Rev.  Joseph  Jackson,  of  Brookline,  and  Major-General  Henry 
Jackson,  of  Boston. 

The  buildings,  as  they  then  stood,  are  located  on  the  accompany- 
ing plan,  drawn  by  Osgood  Carleton.  The  house  marked  A  was 
the  residence  of  Colonel  Jackson,  and,  before  him,  of  Benjamin 
Fitch,  another  well-known  citizen.  It  is  still  standing  (Nos.  26-28, 
Dock  Square),  a  large  building  of  brick,  laid  in  the  English  bond, 
with  a  moulded  belt  The  upper  story  is  a  later  addition.  The 
adjoining  house  (Nos.  29,  30)  is  also  very  old,  and  similarly  con- 
structed. Its  ornamental  scroll  pediment  is  a  noticeable  feature, 
though  partly  concealed  by  the  new  signs. 

The  Sun  Tavern  (marked  C  on  the  plan)  is  a  fair  representative 
of  the   modest   wooden   architecture   of    the  seventeenth   century. 


S2  The  Sun   Tavern. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  its  massive  girders  were  cut  in  Cornhill, 
which  can  hardly  be  true,  as  Cornhill  was  already  built  upon  in 
1690.  They  could  have  been  cut,  however,  not  very  far  away. 
The  joists  are  of  oak,  and  in  good  preservation.  The  cellar  has  a 
fireplace  of  bright  red  English  brick,  and  was  probably  used  as  a 
kitchen.  The  rooms  upstairs  have  undergone  various  changes  to 
meet  the  demands  of  tenants.  The  old  gilded  sign  of  the  Sun  is 
still  remembered  by  some  of  our  citizens. 

During  the  greater  part  of  this  century  the  old  corner  has  been 
favorably  known  as  a  grocery  store,  kept  by  George  Murdock,  and 
afterward  by  Alfred  A.  Wellington.  Mr.  C.  W.  Galloupe  is  the 
present  owner.  Of  late  years  it  has  been  used  as  a  meat  and  fish 
market.  The  property  adjoining  (marked  D)  once  belonged  to 
Colonel  Thomas  Savage,  of  Colonial  fame.  In  our  time  it  has  been 
a  large  fruit-importing  establishment.  Beyond  this,  in  the  corner 
of  the  square,  is  the  building  formerly  known  as  the  Bite  Tavern 
("  Bight  of  Leogan"),  a  rendezvous  of  the  market-men. 


THE   OLD   FEATHER-STORE 


LTHOUGH  this  ancient  building  was  taken  down  in 
i860,  it  is  so  well  remembered  by  many  as  the  last 
house  of  its  kind  left  in  Boston  that  it  seems  to  claim 
a  place  in  this  collection.  It  stood  on  the  corner  of 
Dock  Square  and  North  Street,  fronting  upon  three  sides.  In 
the  early  time  it  was  so  close  to  tide-water  that  the  prows  of 
vessels  moored  in  the  dock  would  almost  touch  the  building,  as 
they  do  to-day  in  the  crowded  canals  of  Rotterdam.  It  was  built 
by  Thomas  Stanbury  in  1680,  soon  after  the  great  fire  which  did 
so  much  damage  in  this  part  of  the  town.  The  style  was  then 
quite  common  in  the  north  of  Europe,  having  been  used  exten- 
sively by  the  Hanseatic  merchants.  There  are  still  many  examples 
of  it  to  be  seen  in  the  Netherlands  and  in  the  old  trading  towns 
of  England.  The  Pilgrims  brought  it  to  Plymouth,  where  a  good 
illustration  of  it  remained  in  the  Allyne  house  on  Leyden  Street 
until  1826.  The  old  Lewis  Hunt  house  at  Salem,  which  was 
taken  down  in  1863,  bore  some  resemblance  to  it.  The  Aspin- 
wall  house  at  Brookline  has  preserved  its  gables,  although  built 
without  the  overhanging  stories.  Several  ancient  houses  in  New 
England  have  the  latter ;  but  very  few,  if  any,  with  both  features 
fully  developed,  are  now  standing. 


88  The  Old  Feather-Store. 

Boston  had  a  number  of  such  houses,  chiefly  at  the  North  End; 
but  they  had  gradually  disappeared,  so  that  this  one,  being  the  last, 
became    an    object    of  peculiar  pride   to   Bostonians,  and  a  great 
curiosity  to  visitors,  who  regarded  it  almost  as  much  of  a  landmark 
as  Faneuil  Hall  itself.     It  was  sadly  missed  after  its  removal ;  and 
no  block  of  stores,  however  costly  or  convenient,  could  ever  replace 
it  in  the  affection  of  our  older  citizens.     No  very  important  changes 
had  been  made  in  its  appearance  except  the  enlargement  of  the 
old  latticed  windows.     The  overhanging  stories  and  the  clustered 
gables  always  remained  the  same.     The  frame  was  of  hewn  oak, 
and    the   outside  walls  were   finished   in   rough-cast  cement,  with 
broken  glass  and  fragments  of  junk  bottles  embedded  in  it  so  firmly 
that  time   produced  no  effect  upon  it.     An  abundance  of  square 
and   diamond-shaped  figures,  with  an  occasional  fleur-de-lis,  gave 
the  house  a  highly  decorative  appearance,  in  striking  contrast  with 
the  plain  structures  around  it.    The  date  1680  was  placed  upon  the 
principal  gable  on  the  westerly  front.     The  building  was  divided 
into  two  tenements,  each  with  separate    entrances    and  staircase, 
while  one  large   chimney  served  for  both.     Each  story  projected 
about  two  feet  over  the  one  below  it,  giving  a  considerable  increase 
of  space  as  one  ascended.     This  was  probably  the  reason  why  this 
style  came  into  use.     A  much   larger  house   could   thus  be  built 
upon  a  limited  area ;  and  in  crowded  or  walled  towns  it  became 
almost  a  necessity. 

Nearly  every  variety  of  trade  had  been  carried  on  in  the  old 
warehouse,  from  hats  to  boots,  with  hardware,  medicines,  West  India 
goods,  and  clothing  interspersed.  The  famous  apothecary-shop 
kept  here  by  the  Greenleafs  in  the  last  century  was  long  consid- 
ered one  of  the  best  in  town.    At  a  later  period  the  Simpsons  used 


The  Old  Feather- St  ore. 


89 


it  as  a  feather-store  for  many  years,  and  this  gave  the  building  its 
name,  although  from  its  peculiar  shape  it  was  also  sometimes  called 
"  the  old  cocked  hat." 

There  are  still  a  few  houses  left  with  the  overhanging  second 
story.  One  of  these  may  be  seen  on  the  corner  of  Sun  Court  and 
North  Street,  a  dilapidated  affair,  groaning  under  the  weight  of 
years,  and  reduced  in  length  by  the  recent  widening  of  North 
Street,  but  still  a  picturesque  object,  and  once  a  substantial  home. 
Charles  Willis,  sailmaker,  lived  there  many  years ;  and  his  son 
Charles,  the  auctioneer,  afterwards  owned  it. 


LEADING  figure  on  our  streets  at  the  beginning  of 
this  century  was  Benjamin  Austin,  Jr.,  the  champion 
of  the  old  line  of  Jefferson  Democrats,  and  a  vigorous 
political  writer,  whose  usual  signature  was  "  Honestus." 
His  communications  in  the  Chronicle  attracted  much  attention, 
and  were  published  in  1803  m  a  volume  called  the  "  Old  South  " 
Letters;  or,  "  Constitutional  Republicanism  in  opposition  to  Falla- 
cious Federalism."  He  held  various  important  public  offices  He 
resided  on  the  corner  of  Cambridge  and  Hancock  Streets,  and  was 
one  of  the  last  to  wear  the  old  style  of  dress. 

His  son  Charles  was  killed  on  State  Street  in   1806,  by  Thomas 
O.  Selfridge,  in  a  political  quarrel. 


THE    GREEN    DRAGON 


''Hail,  place  of  refuge,  —  kind  resort,  —  all  hail!" 


S  the  years  go  by,  the  site  of  such  a  famous  hostelry  as 
the  Green  Dragon  will  be  regarded  with  increasing 
interest  by  those  who  appreciate  our  history  and  study 
our  localities.  The  owners  of  the  estate  have  wisely 
provided  for  this  by  placing  a  stone  tablet  in  the  front  wall  of  the 
building  numbered  80-86  Union  Street.  This  tablet,  carved  with 
a  dragon  in  relief,  although  not  an  exact  copy  of  the  original  sign, 
is  a  great  help  to  one  who  wishes  to  find  the  spot  around  which 
cluster  so  many  patriotic  memories. 

In  the  rear  of  this  building,  and  facing  the  new  Washington 
Street,  is  a  long  block  of  stores,  recently  erected,  bearing  the 
Green  Dragon  name  on  an  inscription  in  the  upper  story. 

The  old  tavern  stood  very  near  where  the  tablet  in  Union 
Street  is  placed;  only  it  must  be  remembered  that  Union  Street 
has  been  widened  so  much  that  the  line  of  the  front  wall  of  the 
tavern  would  now  be  twenty-two  feet  out  in  the  street. 

The  picture  of  the  house  given  here  is  taken  from  a  drawing  of 
the  wooden  model  which  Dr.  Shurtleff  prepared  with  great  care. 
It  is  recognized  as  an  accurate  representation  by  several  of  our 
citizens  who  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  the  building.  Upon 
their  authority  the  sign  of  the  dragon  is  put,  not  over   the  front 


96  The  Green  Dragon. 

door,  where  it  may  once  have  been,  but  at  the  left-hand  corner  of 
the  house,  where,  in  later  years  at  least,  it  was  placed,  probably 
to  attract  attention  more  readily  from  Hanover  Street,  which  was 
always  a  great  thoroughfare. 

The  venerable  mansion  was  taken  down  in  1828  to  make  room 
for  the  increasing  travel  to  Charlestown  and  to  the  new  land  in 
the  vicinity  of  Haymarket  Square,  made  available  by  the  filling  up 
of  the  old  Mill  Pond,  a  large  basin  of  salt  water  separated  from 
Charles  River  by  a  causeway,  and  used  largely  for  mill  purposes. 
Green  Dragon  Lane  was  then  widened  into  the  present  Union 
Street  and  all  traces  of  its  ancient  appearance  were  obliterated. 

The  tavern  was  built  of  brick,  with  two  stories  and  a  half  in 
front,  and  three,  besides  a  basement,  behind.  It  was  over  fifty 
feet  long  and  thirty-four  feet  deep,  with  a  large  wing  in  the  rear. 
One  of  its  early  owners,  if  not  its  builder,  was  Lieutenant-Governor 
Stoughton,  who  bequeathed  it  to  Mehitable  Cooper.  Alexander 
Smith  kept  it  in  1695,  an^  John  Cary,  brewer,  in  1697  and  several 
years  afterwards. 

On  St.  George's  Day,  1706,  Governor  Joseph  Dudley,  who  had 
come  to  town  "  guarded  by  the  troops  with  their  swords  drawn," 
dined  here  in  state,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  town-house,  which 
was  illuminated  in  the  evening. 

In  1709  the  birthday  of  Queen  Anne  was  celebrated  by  a 
11  treat "  given  here  by  the  Council  to  the  Governor  and  other 
dignitaries,  including  several  of  the  ministers  ot  the  town.  This 
entertainment  cost  the  honorable  Councillors  the  sum  of  five 
shillings  apiece. 

The  field-officers  of  the  Boston  Regiment,  on  their  training- 
day  in   September,  17 19,  gave  a  dinner  here  to  General    Richard 


The  Green  Dragon.  97 

Phillipps,  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia.  Lieutenant-Governor  Dum- 
mer  and  the  Council  were  present.  Joseph  Kidder  was  the  keeper 
in  1734.  The  Rev.  William  Cooper,  pastor  of  Brattle  Street 
Church,  sold  the  property  in  1743  to  Dr.  William  Douglass, 
the  eminent  Scotch  physician  and  writer,  who  lived  many  years 
in  Boston,  and  made  this  mansion  his  residence  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life.  The  town  of  Douglas,  in  Worcester  County, 
was  named  for  him. 

The  first  public  religious  services  of  the  Sandemanians  in  Bos- 
ton were  held  here  in  1764.  The  same  year  St.  Andrew's  Lodge 
purchased  the  tavern  and  gave  it  the  name  of  "  Freemasons' 
Arms,"  placing  a  large  square  and  compass  on  the  front  of  the 
building.  It  was  then  popularly  known  for  some  years  as  "  Ma- 
sons' Hall."  In  1769  the  Massachusetts  Grand  Lodge  was  organ- 
ized here,  with  Joseph  Warren  as  Grand  Master.  The  summer 
festival  of  the  order  was  celebrated  in  1772  by  a  parade  of  the 
members,  a  sermon  at  Christ  Church,  and  a  dinner  under  a  long 
tent  in  the  garden  of  the  Dragon,  —  a  considerable  tract  of  land 
in  the  rear,  and  extending  northerly  toward  the  Mill  Pond. 

Undoubtedly  if  the  secret  history  of  the  Revolution  were  writ- 
ten, it  would  show  that  its  initiatory  movements  were  largely 
planned  within  the  walls  of  this  "  nest  of  treason."  Several  political 
clubs  sprang  into  existence  at  that  time,  prominent  among  which 
was  the  "  North  End  Caucus,"  composed  chiefly  of  mechanics, 
whose  meetings  were  held  here.  This  enterprising  and  fearless 
band  furnished  just  the  material  necessary  for  the  execution  of  the 
clever  though  dangerous  plot  to  dispose  of  "  that  worst  of  plagues, 
the  detested  tea."  Their  connection  with  it  appears  in  an  old 
Revolutionary  song,  a  part  of  which  has  come  down  to  us :  — 


98  The  Great  Dragon. 

"  Rally,  Mohawks  !   bring  out  your  axes  ! 
And  tell  King  George  we  '11  pay  no  taxes 

On  his  foreign  tea  ! 
His  threats  are  vain  ;  he  need  not  think 
To  force  our  wives  and  girls  to  drink 

His  vile  Bohea  I 
Then  rally,  boys,  and  hasten  on 
To  meet  our  chiefs  at  the  Green  Dragon. 

"  Our  Warren  's  there,  and  bold  Revere, 
With  hands  to  do  and  words  to  cheer 

For  liberty  and  laws. 
Our  country's  '  braves  '  and  firm  defenders 
Shall  ne'er  be  left  by  true  North-Enders, 

Fighting  Freedom's  cause! 
Then  rally,  boys,  and  hasten  on 
To  meet  our  chiefs  at  the  Green  Dragon." 

These  sturdy  patriots  organized  here  their  secret  committees  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  troops  and  the  Tories.  From  this 
rendezvous  they  would  often  sally  forth  two  and  two,  in  turn,  to 
patrol  the  streets  all  night.  Their  vigilance  was  amply  rewarded, 
and  the  country  will  never  forget  the  place  which  served  as  a  refuge 
for  these  "  high  sons  of  liberty  "  in  the  time  of  peril,  when  "  they 
nobly  dared  to  be  free." 

Shortly  before  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  Thomas  Oliver,  the 
last  royal  Lieutenant-Governor,  authorized  the  use  of  the  Green 
Dragon  as  a  hospital  for  the  poor.  At  various  periods  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Scots'  Charitable  Society  were  held  here. 

When  the  Federal  Constitution  was  under  discussion  in  the 
Massachusetts  Convention  in  1788,  the  mechanics  and  artisans  of 
Boston  met  at  the  Green  Dragon  to  urge  its  adoption.  They  sent 
a  committee,  headed  by  Revere,  to  present  a  series  of  resolutions  to 
that  body.      Knowing  that  Samuel  Adams,  one  of  the  Boston  dele- 


The  Green  Dragon.  99 

gates  in  the  Convention,  would  respect  a  communication  from  such 
a  source,  they  intrusted  it  to  him  with  the  assurance  that  the  me- 
chanics were  all  in  favor  of  it.  Mr.  Adams,  hesitating  a  moment, 
inquired  how  many  mechanics  there  were  at  the  Green  Dragon 
when  these  resolutions  were  passed.  "  More,  sir,"  was  the  reply, 
"  than  the  Green  Dragon  could  hold/'  "  And  where  were  the  rest, 
Mr.  Revere  ?  "  "  In  the  streets,  sir."  "  And  how  many  were  in 
the  streets  ? "  "  More,  sir,  than  there  are  stars  in  the  sky."  This 
incident  was  narrated  with  much  effect  by  Daniel  Webster  in  his 
speech  to  the  Essex  Whigs  at  Andover,  in  1843.  The  Massa- 
chusetts Charitable  Mechanic  Association  traces  its  orioin  to  a 
meeting  convened  here  in  January,  1795,  under  a  call  addressed 
to  "the  Tradesmen,  Mechanics,  and  Manufacturers  of  this  town 
and  vicinity  who  keep  apprentices." 

f  After  the  war  the  old  tavern  was  used  for  various  social  and 
literary  purposes.  Benjamin  Dearborn  established  his  academy 
about  1789  in  the  "long  room,"  where  also  in  1817  Master  Cham- 
berlain kept  a  private  school.  One  of  his  scholars,  who  is  still 
living,  remembers  amusing  himself  by  sitting  at  the  corner  window 
and  playing  with  the  old  dragon's  tail.  The  creature  was  made  of 
sheet  copper,  painted  green,  with  two  feet  resting  on  an  iron  bar 
and  the  other  two  flying  in  front.  His  tongue  was  a  flaming  dart ; 
the  wings  were  somewhat  extended,  and  the  tail  was  coiled  up  near 
the  house.  What  became  of  this  famous  sign  has  never  been 
known.  It  must  have  been  removed  when  the  building  was  taken 
down  in  1828.  Perhaps  it  lies  concealed  and  forgotten  under 
the  rubbish  of  some  old  shop  or  attic.  Whoever  can  find  it 
would  be  entitled  to  honorary  membership  in  the  Archaeological 
Institute. 


ioo  The    Green    Dragon. 

The  last  keeper  of  the  Green  Dragon  was  Daniel  Simpson,  the 
famous  drummer,  who  has  served  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company,  the  New  England  Guards,  and  other  military 
bodies  since  1808,  and  who  may  still  be  seen,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-five,  frequently  sitting  with  friends  on  his  piazza  at 
City  Point,  recounting  the  checkered  scenes  of  his  long  and 
active  life. 

The  same  year  in  which  the  Green  Dragon  was  demolished,  the 
adjacent  property  on  the  corner  of  Union  and  Hanover  Streets 
(now  the  Blackstone  Bank  estate)  was  occupied  by  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church,  which  had  moved  from  its  old  site  in  Stillman  Street, 
and  which  remained  here  until  1853,  when  its  new  edifice  on 
Somerset  Street  was  completed. 


THE    WELLS-ADAMS    HOUSE 


HIS  is  the  largest  and  most  complete  example,  both 
in  front  and  rear,  of  a  wooden  dwelling  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  remaining  in  Boston.  It  stands  on 
the  east  side  of  Salem  Street,  nearly  opposite  Cooper 
Street,  and  is  numbered  115-121.  Until  1824,  this  part  of  Salem 
Street,  extending  from  Hanover  to  Prince  Street,  along  the  margin 
of  the  old  Mill  Pond,  was  called  Back  Street,  and  was  thus  distin- 
guished from  the  street  along  the  harbor  front  (now  North  Street), 
which  was  familiarly  called  Fore  Street.  Between  these  two  and 
almost  parallel  with  them  was  Middle  (now  Hanover)  Street,  the 
backbone  of  the   North   End. 

There  are  several  reasons  for  believing  that  this  house,  or  a 
part  of  it,  was  built  as  early  as  1680,  and  perhaps  even  earlier.  Its 
architecture,  its  records,  its  traditions,  all  seem  to  confirm  this 
opinion,  although  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  fix  the  precise  year 
in  which  a  private  dwelling  as  old  as  this  was  built.  It  contains 
three  tenements,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  great  length,  its  low, 
overhanging  stories,  its  good  workmanship,  and  its  generally  un- 
changed appearance.  The  frame  is  made  exceedingly  strong,  like 
an  old-fashioned  line-of-battle  ship.     The  windows  have  solid  plank 


108  The    Wells- Adams    House. 

casings,  tenoned  and  pinned  together,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
accompanying  drawing.  Some  of  them  have  only  two  rows  of 
panes  in  the  lower  sash,  and  three  in  the  upper,  as  was  formerly 
quite  common. 

The  rear  of  the  building,  which  has  all  the  features  of  an  old 
New  England  farm-house,  is  the  most  picturesque  part  of  it ;  or 
was  until  recently,  when  it  was  newly  clapboarded  and  shingled, 
and  deprived  of  some  of  its  most  striking  and  antiquated  points. 
The  huge  chimneys,  however,  and  the  long  pitch  roof  remain  as 
they  were. 

The  present  condition  of  the  back  yard  would  hardly  suggest 
the  fact  that  only  a  few  years  ago  it  was  a  fine  flower-garden,  with 
a  good  supply  of  fruit  and  shade  trees,  adjoining  other  gardens 
reaching  back  as  far  as  Hanover  Street,  and  kept  with  scrupulous 
care  by  the  former  neighbors.  But  such  was  the  case.  The 
North-Enders  took  great  pride  in  their  gardens,  and  held  on  to 
them  as  long  as  they  could. 

It  is  believed  that  the  Baptists  held  some  of  their  secret  meet- 
ings in  this  house  during  the  struggles  through  which  they  passed 
before  securing  the  recognition  of  their  church  in  1680. 

The  estate  belonged  subsequently  to  Adam  Winthrop,  the  third 
of  that  name  in  Boston,  and  father  of  Professor  John  Winthrop,  of 
Harvard  College.  At  that  time  it  measured  135  feet  on  the  street, 
and  about  as  much  in  depth.  Winthrop  had  a  stable  and  other 
buildings  bordering  on  a  garden  which  extended  to  a  "cartway  or 
passage  "  laid  out  by  himself.  His  immediate  neighbors  were  John 
Pearce,  Ebenezer  Bridge,  and  the  widow  Grant.  Adam  Winthrop, 
or  "  Judge  Adam,"  as  he  is  sometimes  conveniently  called,  was 
many  years   on    the   bench   of   the  Court  of  Common   Pleas,  and 


The    Wells- Adams    House.  109 

was  also  Chief-Justice.  He  was  a  member  of  the  church  in  North 
Square,  where  most  of  his  children  were  baptized.  On  the  birth 
of  his  first  son,  Adam,  in  1706,  he  gave  the  church  a  baptismal 
basin,  which  is  still  preserved,  with  its  quaint  Latin  inscription 
engraved  under  the  rim. 

In  1724  Winthrop  sold  the  property  to  Captain  William  Max- 
well, for  /715.  John  Ruck  was  the  next  owner,  and  then  came 
Peter  Thomas  (the  grandfather  of  Robert  Newman),  Elias  Thomas 
(senior  and  junior),  Edward  Tyler,  Daniel  Tuttle,  Susanna  Gray, 
and  Benjamin  Tuttle  Wells.  The  latter  was  married  in  1799  to 
Lydia  Appleton.  They  moved  into  the  southern  part  of  the  house, 
and  brought  up  a  large  family  of  children.  Mr.  Wells  died  in 
1822,  but  his  wife  lived  here  until  her  death  in  1872.  Six  of 
her  daughters  were  married  in  the  old  parlor,  —  the  corner  room 
on  the  lower  floor,  now,  alas!  stripped  of  its  glory  and  converted 
into  a  shop.  John  Wells,  the  brother  and  partner  of  Benjamin, 
and  a  deacon  of  the  New  North  Church,  lived  in  the  middle  tene- 
ment, and  Philip  Adams  in  the  northern  end,  which  in  1730  was 
owned  by  Joseph  Bissell,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  one  of  the 
founders  of  Christ  Church.  On  one  of  the  window-panes  can  be 
seen  the  name,  "  Lydia  Greenleaf,  at  Boston,  1 796." 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  this  house  have  lived  many 
persons  well  known  in  the  history  of  Boston.  Around  the  corner, 
in  old  Richmond  Street,  was  born  Charlotte  Cushman,  on  the  site 
of  the  Cushman  School.  In  the  next  house  lived  John  Gilbert, 
with  his  uncle,  Thomas  G.  Atkins.  Some  of  the  former  residents 
of  this  locality  recall  with  pleasure  certain  occasions  when  young 
Gilbert  delighted  them  with  his  early  ventures  in  the  dramatic  art. 
It  was  in  the  loft  of  an  old  barn  in  Veazie's  Lane  that  he  won  his 


I  IO 


The    Wells- A  dams    House. 


first  laurels ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  encouragement  which  he 
found  here,  perhaps  his  subsequent  career  would  have  been  differ- 
ent. On  Richmond  Street  lived  also  Edward  Everett,  Darius 
Boardman,  Charles  Lincoln,  and  the  Winchesters.  On  the  corner 
of  Cooper  Street  stands  the  house  of  Captain  Benjamin  Smith,  the 
port  warden,  and  next  to  him  was  Dr.  Horace  Bean.  On  the  other 
side  lived  Samuel  Leeds,  Matthew  Binney,  and  Edward  Tirrell. 
John  Snelling  and  James  Bartlett  were  on  the  west  side  of  Salem 
Street,  and  Joseph  Veazie  lived  in  the  old  house  standing  on  the 
corner  of  Carroll  Place.  Near  by  was  Austin's  buckle-shop,  where, 
in  the  olden  time,  when  men  dressed  in  small-clothes,  a  good  busi- 
ness was  done  in  buckles.  Opposite  was  Deacon  Kettell's  bakery, 
where  the  best  biscuits  were  sold  at  fourteen  for  a  quarter. 


Mm/ 


THE    BADGER   HOUSE 


RINCE  Street  has  seen  fewer  changes  in  this  century 
than  any  other  street  of  its  length  in  Boston.  Its 
houses  are  all  old  and  dingy,  untouched  by  the  hand 
of  improvement,  which  has  torn  down  and  rebuilt  so 
many  other  quarters  to  meet  the  increasing  demands  of  trade. 
The  stagnation  which  has  settled  down  upon  this  locality  is  partly 
owing  to  the  construction  of  the  extensive  gas-works  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  street,  and  partly  to  the  opening  of  new  and  more  con- 
venient thoroughfares  by  filling  up  the  old  Mill  Pond. 

Unattractive  as  Prince  Street  seems  to-day,  it  has  yet  preserved 
its  early  architectural  appearance ;  although  the  foreign  occupancy 
and  long  neglect  have  sadly  changed  the  complexion  of  houses 
once  the  abode  of  comfort  and  thrift. 

One  of  the  familiar  landmarks  here  is  the  wooden  house  on  the 
corner  of  Thacher  Street,  shaded  by  an  elm  which  has  outlived 
most  of  its  contemporaries  at  the  North  End.  This  house  was 
built  near  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  probably  by  Benjamin 
Brown,  ship-joiner,  who  bought  the  land  of  Joshua  Qee.  William 
Beer  had  a  joint  interest  in  the  estate.  Caleb  Champney  was  the 
owner  after  the  Revolution,  and  Colonel  Thomas  Badger  bought  it 
in  1802.  Colonel  Badger,  a  pewterer  by  trade,  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable influence  in  his  time.     Born  in  1764,  he  caught  the  spirit 


i  1 6  The  Badger  House. 

of  the  patriots  in  his  early  youth,  and  subsequently  attained  to  an 
important  command  in  the  militia.  He  held  positions  under  the 
town  government,  and  was  for  a  time  the  crier  of  the  Supreme 
Judicial  Court.  He  built  the  large  brick  house  adjoining  his  own, 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  in 
which  he  was  succeeded  by  his  sons  Robert  and  David.  Colonel 
Badger  was  an  active  member  and  deacon  of  the  Second  Baptist 
Church. 

Thacher  Street  was  formerly  only  a  passage-way  seven  feet  wide 
"  running  from  Prince  Street  to  the  highway  leading  to  the  North- 
water  mills."  On  the  corner  of  Thacher  and  Pond  (now  Endicott) 
Streets  was  the  "  Canal  House,"  a  four-story  brick  hotel  kept  by 
John  Sherburne,  whose  brother,  Reuben  B.  Sherburne,  was  the 
well-known  Boston  agent  of  the  Concord  Boating  Company. 
Their  boats  were  towed  through  the  Middlesex  Canal,  and  poled 
on  the  Merrimac  River  as  far  as  Concord,  N.  H.  The  granite 
of  which  Quincy  Market  was  built  came  from  Concord  by  these 
boats  through  the  old  Mill  Creek,  now  filled  up  and  known  as 
Blackstone  Street. 

Opposite  the  Canal  House  lived  William  Parker,  the  hardware 
dealer;  and  near  by,  on  Pond  Street,  was  the  home  of  Benjamin 
Abbott,  the  cooper,  who  by  close  attention  to  his  business  acquired 
a  large  property,  and  left  a  generous  sum  to  his  native  town  of 
Marblehead  for  a  public  hall  and  library,  since  built  upon  the  com- 
mon and  known  as  Abbott  Hall. 

There  is  a  small,  dilapidated  wooden  house,  with  gambrel  roof,  on 
Prince  Street  (No.  57),  which  has  been  spared,  as  if  by  special  indul- 
gence, to  the  present  time.     A  side  view  of  it  is  given  here  because 


The  Badger  House.  117 

of  its  antiquity,  and  because  it  was  the  home  of  the  Thoreau  family. 
In  1727  it  belonged  to  Richard  Sherwin,  who  sold  it  to  John 
Adams.  Nathaniel  Loring  afterwards  owned  it,  and  then  David 
Orrok,  from  whom  it  descended  to  the  Thoreau  sisters,  Elizabeth, 
Jane,  and  Sarah,  who  sold  it  in  1825  to  Isaac  Dupee  for  one 
thousand  dollars. 

The  estate  next  above  this  (51-53)  was  William  Copp's  in  1728, 
and  at  a  later  period  it  became  the  residence  of  John  Thoreau; 
but  it  has  undergone  so  many  changes  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  recognize  it.  The  old  end  on  the  street  has  now  an  entirely 
different  facing,  and  the  original  angle  of  the  roof  has  disappeared. 
The  only  external  feature  remaining  as  it  was  is  the  great  west 
wall  of  brick,  laid  in  the  promiscuous  bond,  reaching  far  up  the 
yard,  and  crowned  by  four  chimneys,  two  of  which  belonged  to 
the  house  in  the  rear,  once  owned  by  Captain  Peter  Papillon, 
whose  entrance,  like  that  of  the  Thoreaus,  was  on  the  narrow 
passage-way  now  called   Bennet  Avenue. 

John  Thoreau,  the  grandfather  of  Henry  the  writer,  came  to  Bos- 
ton about  1773  from  the  island  of  Jersey,  and  established  himself 
in  business  on  Long  Wharf.  After  his  marriage  he  bought  this 
house  of  the  Orrok  family,  relatives  of  his  wife,  and  lived  in  it  until 
he  removed  to  Concord  in  1800.  Here  Henry's  grandmother  died 
in  1796,  and  here  his  father.  John  Thoreau,  Jr.,  spent  his  boy- 
hood. The  estate  remained  in  the  family  till  quite  recently.  Miss 
Maria,  the  last  of  the  Thoreaus,  died  at  Bangor  in  1881. 

Previous  to  1708  Prince  Street  was  called  Black  Horse  Lane, 
from  a  prominent  tavern  near  Hanover  Street  bearing  the  sign 
of  the  Black  Horse.  This  locality  is  filled  with  old  tenements  of 
every  size   and   shape,  some   of   them  showing  traces  of  eminent 


n8 


The   Badger  House. 


respectability  in  their  ornamental  wood-work  about  the  doors  and 
cornices.  Occasionally  carved  banisters  and  mantel-pieces  of 
superior  workmanship  are  seen  in  houses  which  no  one  would 
think  of  exploring  for  such  treasures.  This  part  of  Prince  Street 
is  largely  given  up  to  shops  for  the  sale  of  second-hand  furniture. 
The  itinerant  venders  of  fish  and  fruit  are  ever  present,  and  appear 
to  monopolize  the  trade  of  the  North  End,  if  one  can  judge  from 
their  frequent  sales  and  persistent  vociferations,  which,  from  morn- 
ing till  night,  seem  never  to  die  out  on  the  streets. 


■o-i 


A   BRITISH    HOSPITAL 


ANY  of  the  houses  at  the  North  End  which  stood 
near  the  Charlestown  Ferry  were  taken,  after  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  for  the  use  of  the  sick  and 
wounded.  One  of  these  houses  stands  at  the  corner 
of  Prince  Street  and  Lafayette  Avenue,  —  a  large  three-story  build- 
ing, now  used  as  a  bakery.  Notwithstanding  the  changes  through 
which  it  has  passed,  it  still  retains  something  of  its  early  character 
as  a  dwelling  of  ample  proportions  and  of  the  old-time  comfort. 
Its  chimneys  are  uncommonly  large,  containing  material  enough 
to  build  a  small  house.  When  one  of  them  was  taken  down  about 
thirty  years  ago,  several  relics  were  found  deposited  in  it;  among 
them  a  bayonet  in  good  condition,  and  the  roster  of  a  military 
company,  finely  written,  and  tied  up  in  a  bundle  of  papers.  Sev- 
eral human  bones  have  been  dug  up,  from  time  to  time,  in  the  rear 
of  this  and  the  neighboring  houses,  probably  the  remains  of  British 
soldiers  buried  here  during  the  siege. 

After  the  departure  of  the  British,  March  17,  1776,  Boston  was 
found,  according  to  Dr.  John  Warren,  to  be  in  a  fairly  good  con- 
dition. The  streets  were  clean.  Very  few  houses  bore  marks 
of  injury  externally,  though  some,  which  had  been  occupied  by 
the  troops,  were  considerably  damaged  inside ;    and  much  of  the 


124  ^    British    Hospital. 

furniture  was  either  mutilated  or  missing.  The  most  noticeable 
change  was  seen  in  the  removal  of  a  large  number  of  old 
wooden  houses,  which  had  been  pulled  down  for  fuel  by  military 
order. 

This  house  was  partly  constructed  of  heavy  ship  timber,  pierced 
with  numerous  treenails.  The  solid  oak  planks  look  as  if  they 
were  meant  to  last  another  century. 

In  the  partition  of  the  large  estate  of  the  Rev.  Joshua  Gee,  in 
1 750,  this  corner  was  set  off  to  Sarah  Gee  for  dower.  It  after- 
ward passed  to  Thomas  Adams,  Edward  Staples,  and  others ;  and 
in  18 1 5  it  was  purchased  for  four  thousand  dollars  by  William 
Gray,  the  large  ship-owner,  who  built  Grays  wharf  and  held  other 
property  at  the  North  End.  In  more  recent  years  it  has  been 
known  as  the  residence  and  bakery  of  Jabez  F.  Hewes,  whose 
grandfather  was  a  participant  in  the  Boston  Tea  Party,  and  gave 
us  the  most  detailed  account  we  have  of  that  famous  event. 

On  the  corner,  where  the  ground  slopes  back  toward  the  site  of 
the  old  water  mills,  may  be  seen  a  piece  of  a  cannon  projecting 
above  the  sidewalk.  This  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  "  True 
Blues,"  a  military  company  composed  largely  of  North  End  calkers. 
It  may  be  a  relic  of  the  War  of  181 2;  possibly  of  the  Revolution. 
It  served  as  a  post  to  protect  the  house  from  trucks  and  other 
vehicles,  in  the  days  when  sidewalks  had  not  come  into  general 
use.  Several  other  cannon  are  remembered  as  having  answered 
a  similar  purpose  in  the  older  parts  of  the  city. 

The  brick  house  next  to  this  was,  early  in  the  century,  the  res- 
idence of  Enoch  Silsbee,  and  a  little  later,  of  John  B.  McCleary, 
alderman.  There  was  a  fine  garden  in  the  rear,  well  stocked  with 
mulberry,  quince,  apple,  and  other  fruit  trees.      In  the  other  half 


A    British   Hospital.  125 

of  the  same  house  lived  Samuel  F.  McCleary,  Sr.,  well  known  as 
the  City  Clerk  of  Boston  for  thirty  years  from  the  organization 
of  the  City  Government  in  1822.  He  was  followed  in  this  office 
by  his  son  of  the  same  name,  for  the  same  length  of  time,  —  a 
rare  and  honorable  succession.  Next  beyond  is  a  large  brick 
mansion  (No.  150),  originally  one  of  the  best  in  the  city.  This 
was  the  home  of  Captain  Lemuel  Porter,  a  man  of  note,  who 
sailed  on  the  long  Northwest  voyages  with  much  success.  His 
wife  was  active  in  benevolent  work,  and  subsequently  secured 
this  building  for  the  use  of  the  "  Children's  Friend  Society,"  in 
which  she  was  assisted  by  Mrs.  Dr.  Baldwin,  Mrs.  Gurney,  Mrs. 
Burns,   Miss   Mary  Webb,  and  others. 

In  a  wooden  house,  now  removed,  next  to  Captain  Porter's,  lived 
Jacob  P.  Rust,  a  representative  of  an  old   Prince-Street  family. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  street,  now  occupied  by  the  gas-works, 
were  the  residences  of  John  Pray,  Asa  Fillebrown,  Captain  Silas 
Atkins,  Isaac  Dupee,  Captain  John  F.  Suter,  William  Green,  and 
others,  whose  well-kept  gardens  extended  up  the  steep,  sunny 
slopes  of  Snow  Hill,  now  almost  entirely  dug  away.  The  view 
from  Captain  Suter's  front  windows  toward  the  south,  across  the 
Mill  Pond,  was  unbroken  by  any  buildings  as  far  as  Pitts  Street. 
Above  this  lived  Thomas  Gould,  Jr.,  Loring  Sargent,  Larabee 
Edes,  and  Deacon   Benjamin  Smith. 

At  No.  124,  on  the  south  side  of  Prince  Street,  is  the  old 
wooden  house  in  which  the  Whitman  family  lived  for  three  or  four 
generations  ;  and  a  little  farther  up  is  the  one  in  which  William 
Abrams,  the  centenarian,  died.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  the 
late  Abram  French.  He  wore  the  old  style  of  dress,  and  was  often 
seen  at  the  polls,  casting  his  vote  as  directed  by  his  friends. 


126 


A    British    Hospital. 


The  opening  of  the  Charlestown  bridge,  June  17,  1786,  —  one 
of  the  greatest  events  in  the  history  of  Boston, — brought  a  stream 
of  travel  through  Prince  Street.  All  the  northern  stages  and 
country  teams  now  used  this  thoroughfare.  Before  the  construc- 
tion of  the  bridge,  any  one  driving  out  of  Boston  for  New  Hamp- 
shire or  Maine  had  to  go  over  Roxbury  Neck  and  around  through 
Brookline  and  Cambridge,  a  long  detour.  So  convenient  was 
this  bridge,  and  so  remunerative,  —  it  yielded  a  profit  of  from 
thirty  to  forty  per  cent  a  year, —  that  plans  were  soon  formed 
for  another  and  much  longer  one,  connecting  Boston  with 
Cambridge  and  the  west.     This  was  completed   in    1793. 

The  old  house  of  Captain  Thomas  Sinclair,  on  Margaret  Street, 
is  remembered  by  many  residents  of  this  section.  It  was  recently 
pulled  down.  It  stood  nearly  opposite  Master  Tileston's  house, 
and  was  built  of  English  brick,  much  resembling  the  old  Waters 
house,  which  still  stands  at  the  head  of  Margaret  Street. 


A    PRINCE-STREET   HOUSE. 


HEN   Major   Pitcairn  was  mortally  wounded  at  Bunker 
Hill,  he  was  brought  over  in  a  boat  and  taken  to  a 
house   not   far   from   the   ferry   at   the  foot  of    Prince 
Street.     As  soon  as  General  Gage  heard  of  it,  he  sent 
to  Dr.  Thomas  Kast,#  a  well-known   Boston  physician  who  sym- 

pathized  with  England  in  the  struggle,  and  requested  him  to  call 
on  Pitcairn,  as  the  regular  surgeons  were  overwhelmed  with  work. 

*  Dr.  Kast  was  born  in  Boston,  Aug.  12,  1750,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1769,  with  James  Winthrop,  Peter  Thacher,  Theophilus  Parsons,  William  Tudor,  and  Peleg 
Wadsworth.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  his  father,  Dr.  Philip  Godfrid  Kast,  and 
served  for  a  time  as  surgeon's  mate  in  the  navy.  He  then  spent  two  years  in  London,  at  Guy's 
and  St.  Thomas's  Hospitals.  In  1774  he  returned  to  Boston,  where  he  pursued  the  practice  of 
his  profession  for  thirty  years,  until  his  health  began  to  fail.  In  1810  he  again  visited  Europe, 
and  spent  seven  years  in  various  countries,  and  then  returned  to  Boston,  where  he  died, 
June  20,  1820. 

Dr  Kast  was  an  original  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  and  for  several  years 
its  Treasurer.  His  obstetric  practice  was  larger  than  that  of  any  of  his  contemporaries.  He 
successfully  performed  the  first  operation  in  Boston  for  aneurism  in  the  thigh.  He  lived  on 
Hanover  Street,  in  the  house  afterwards  occupied  by  Dr.  Shurtleff,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
■  Kast  Buildings." 


I  X2 


A    Prince-Street   House. 


The  Doctor  proceeded  at  once  in  his  gig,  taking  with  him  a  friend 
whom  he  met  on  the  way. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon.  Entering  the  chamber  where 
the  Major  was  lying  on  a  bed,  the  Doctor  announced  that  he  had 
come  at  the  request  of  General  Gage,  who  wished  to  have  every- 
thing done  that  was  possible  to  help  the  Major  in  his  distress. 
Pitcairn,  with  his  usual  courtesy,  asked  the  Doctor  to  thank  the 
General  for  remembering  him  at  such  a  time,  and  added  that  he 
feared  he  was  beyond  all  human  aid.  On  being  asked  where  he 
was  wounded,  he  laid  his  hand  on  his  breast  and  said,  "  Here,  sir." 
The  Doctor  proceeded  to  remove  the  sheet  in  order  to  examine  the 
wound,  but  the  Major  objected  and  said:  "Excuse  me;  it  is  use- 
less;  my  time  is  short.  You  cannot  do  anything  for  my  relief;  my 
wound  must  cause  death  immediately;  I  am  bleeding  fast  inter- 
nally." "But  let  me  see  the  wound,"  said  the  Doctor;  "you  may 
be  mistaken  in  regard  to  it ;  "  and  again  he  attempted  to  raise 
the  sheet.  The  Major  kept  his  hand  upon  it,  and  said :  "  Doctor, 
excuse  me  ;  I  know  you  can  do  nothing  for  me  ;  do  not  argue  the 
matter  with  me.  .  .  .  Let  me  say  a  few  words  to  you  about  my 
private  concerns/'  The  Doctor  yielded  for  a  moment,  and  listened 
to  such  messages  as  the  dying  man  had  to  give.  This  seemed  to 
relieve  his  mind,  and  soon  after  he  allowed  the  Doctor  to  open  his 
vest  and  loosen  the  matter  which  had  collected  about  the  wound, 
when  suddenly  the  blood  spurted  out  with  great  force  upon  the 
floor.  The  stains  remained  a  long  time,  and  the  room  was  called 
"  Pitcairn's  chamber  "  for  many  years. 

After  doin^  what  he  could  for  the  sufferer,  Dr.  Kast  returned  to 
the  General  and  reported  the  case  ;  but  before  he  could  reach 
Prince  Street  a^ain,  the  brave  officer  had  died  of  his  wounds. 


A    Prince-Street   House.  133 

It  would  be  an  interesting  fact  could  we  know  what  house  it  was 
in  which  this  scene  occurred.  There  is  a  tradition,  handed  down 
by  the  late  Timothy  Dodd  and  others,  that  it  was  the  house  which 
is  still  standing  at  No.  130  Prince  Street,  of  which  a  drawing  is 
here  given.  It  is  a  brick  house,  originally  of  three  stories,  on  the 
left-hand  side  going  down,  opposite  the  yard  of  the  gas-works.  It 
belonged  for  many  years  in  the  last  century  to  Benjamin  Stokes, 
miller,  who  bought  the  property  in  1728  of  John  Waldo,  also  a 
miller.  It  is  described  in  the  deed  of  transfer  of  that  date  as 
a  "  dwelling-house  with  all  the  land  whereon  the  same  doth  stand, 
and  is  thereunto  adjoining  in  the  North  End  of  Boston,  on  the 
northwest  side  of  the  Widow  Copp's  housing  and  land  near 
Charlestown  Ferry  place." 

It  has  been  called  the  Stoddard  house,  because  it  was 
supposed  by  some  to  have  been  the  house  of  Thomas  Stod- 
dard, the  boat-builder,  who  assisted  Pitcairn's  son  in  carrying 
the  Major  to  his  own  house  on  Prince  Street.  Stoddard  did 
not  own  this  house,  though  he  may  have  lived  here  at  the 
time. 

"When  Pitcairn  fell,  his  son  advanced  in  view; 
Towards  the  spot  with   anxious  ardor  flew. 
Tho'  rage  and  love  his  steps  accelerate, 
To  guard  his  father's  life  he  came  too  late  ; 
Already  death  had  launched  his  mortal  dart 
And  lodged  the  barb  in  the  bold  vet'ran's  heart. 
Burning  for  vengeance  and  oppress'd  with  grief. 
With  filial  care  he  raised  the  wounded  chief 
From  blood  and  dust  (as  decency  requir'd), 
And  from  the  carnage  of  the  field  retire!. 
So,  stained  with   streams  of  warm  paternal  gore, 
Young  Scipio  from  the  field  his  father  bore." 


*34 


A    Prince-Street   House. 


It  must  be  said  that  other  houses  have  claimed  the  distinction 
of  having  sheltered  the  dying  Pitcairn  ;  but  none  of  them  are  now 
standing.  There  was  one  on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  spoken 
of  as  "the  third  house  from  Charlestown  bridge,"  as  late  as  1851. 
Another  was  the  Phips  mansion,  afterward  known  as  the  Asylum 
for  Boys,  on  the  corner  of  Salem  and  Charter  Streets.  In  favor  of 
this  was  a  tradition,  apparently  very  circumstantial,  in  the  Walter 
and  McCleary  families;  but  it  contradicted  the  statements  made  by 
Dr.  Kast,  Mr.  Ewing,  Samuel  Lawrence,  and  other  men  of  1775, 
who  had  the  best  opportunity  of  knowing,  and  who  gave  the  honor 
to  Prince  Street,  where  Frothingham  has  left  it,  and  where  it 
must  in  all  probability  remain.  It  is  quite  likely,  however,  that 
the  Phips  house  and  many  others  received  wounded  officers  that 
day,  some  of  whom  were,  naturally  enough,  supposed  to  be  the 
distinguished   Major  of   Marines. 


MASTER   TILESTON'S    HOUSE 


OHN  TILESTON,  or  "Master  Johnny,"  as  he  was 
familiarly  called,  was  in  some  respects  the  most 
notable  school  master  Boston  has  ever  had.  Distin- 
guished not  so  much  for  his  ability  or  scholarship 
as  for  his  quaint,  original  ways  of  teaching,  his  rigid  discipline, 
his  marked  peculiarities  of  manner,  and  the  unequalled  length  of 
his  term  of  service,  he  became  the  very  patriarch  of  pedagogues, 
and  left  the  impress  of  his  singular  personality  upon  two  full 
generations  of  youth. 

Born  in  Boston,  Feb.  27,  1735,  Master  Johnny  was  the  son 
of  John  and  Rebecca  (Fowle)  Tileston,  a  grandson  of  Timothy, 
of  Dorchester,  and  a  great-grandson  of  Timothy,  who  owned 
"  Tileston's  Tide  Mill,"  a  well-known  spot  near  Harrison  Square. 
That  Timothy  was  a  son  of  Thomas,  who  was  born  in  England  in 
161 1,  and  became  a  grantee  of  land  in  Dorchester  in  1634. 

By  an  accident  from  fire  in  early  childhood,  young  Tileston  lost 
the  use  of  some  of  his  fingers,  which  were  drawn  up  in  such  a  way 
as  to  press  the  forefinger  against  the  thumb.  This  prevented  his 
engaging  in  ordinary  pursuits,  but  proved  an  unexpected  qualifica- 
tion for  the  office  of  the  old-time  school-master,  as  it  enabled  him 
most  adroitly  to  hold  the  quill,  the  penknife,  and  the  rattan,  —  the 
three  chief  requisites  of  instruction  in  his  day. 


140  Master    Tiles  tons    House. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  Master  Zachariah 
Hicks,  of  the  North  Writing  School  in  Ben  net  Street,  and  after- 
ward served  as  usher  under  him.  In  1762  he  succeeded  Hicks, 
receiving  one  hundred  pounds  a  year,  and  remained  the  head  of 
the  school  till  1819.  The  authorities,  recognizing  his  long  and 
faithful  services,  continued  his  salary  to  the  day  of  his  death, 
Oct.  13,  1826,  the  only  instance  of  the  kind  in  the  history  of 
Boston.  Thus  for  eighty  years  Tileston  was  uninterruptedly  con- 
nected with  this  famous  school,  except  during  the  siege  of  Boston, 
either  as  pupil  or  teacher  or  emeritus,  —  a  record  not  likely  soon 
to  be  repeated. 

During  a  large  part  of  this  period  he  lived  in  the  long  wooden 
house  still  standing  at  the  west  corner  of  Prince  and  Margaret 
Streets,  once  an  attractive  dwelling,  shaded  by  trees,  but  now  dis- 
figured by  the  ugly  addition  which  has  turned  the  old  school- 
master's parlor  into  a  corner  grocery,  and  planted  a  clothes-shed 
for  tenants  where  his  stately  front  door  used  to  be.  This  home 
was  made  bright  and  happy  by  his  wife  Lydia,  daughter  of  Charles 
Coffin,  to  whom  he  was  married  by  Andrew  Eliot,  Oct.  23,  1760. 

The  studies  pursued  in  our  schools  in  those  days  were  few  in 
number  and  very  simple.  Writing  seems  to  have  had  the  prece- 
dence ;  and  Master  Tileston  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  called 
the  father  of  good  writing  in  Boston.  That  this  was  well  deserved 
would  appear  from  the  fact  that  several  of  his  pupils  who  are  still 
living  write  a  remarkably  smooth  and  legible  hand,  free  from  flour- 
ishes. If  any  one  will  take  the  pains  to  examine  our  old  church 
or  masonic  records,  or  the  account-books  kept  in  Boston  banks 
and  commercial  houses  for  three  quarters  of  a  century,  he  will  find 
in  many  cases  a  distinct,  bold,  and  beautiful  chirography,  almost 


Master    Tiles  tons   House.  141 

equal  to  copper-plate  engraving.  This  may  often  be  traced  directly 
through  many  pupils  to  the  North  Writing  School  and  its  famous 
master.  Reading,  spelling,  and  arithmetic  were  also  taught  by  the 
writing-master,  as  there  was  no  public  English  grammar  school  in 
the  town  until  1789.  As  long  as  Tileston  lived  his  was  the  only 
public  school  at  the  North  End.  The  one  on  Hawkins  Street, 
opened  in  1804,  served  the  West  End,  and  the  older  ones  on 
School  Street  and  Mason  Street  the  South  End.  The  scholars 
sat  on  wooden  benches  without  backs.  In  place  of  desks  were 
long  forms  on  which  they  wrote.  Girls  attended  only  from  April 
to  October,  generally  having  a  room  to  themselves.  There  were 
no  public  schools  then  in  Boston  for  girls  in  the  winter;  but  there 
was  no  lack  of  small  private  schools,  taught  by  women,  mostly  for 
young  children,  who  paid  usually  ninepence  a  week  and  "  wood- 
money,"  —  an  extra  charge,  reckoned  at  the  rate  of  two  feet  of 
wood  per  term  for  each  child.  At  Master  Tileston's,  "Selectmen's 
Day"  was  the  great  event  in  summer,  when  the  town  fathers 
visited  the  school.  This  was  followed  by  a  week's  vacation,  which 
was  about  all  they  had,  except  election  and  commencement  days 
and  Thursday  and  Saturday  afternoons.  On  these  occasions 
Master  Johnny  would  sometimes  walk  into  the  country,  or  go 
down  the  harbor  fishing  —  his  favorite  amusement — with  some  of 
his  former  pupils,  who  were  always  glad  of  his  company.  He 
could  unbend  then,  if  at  no  other  time ;  and  with  his  native  love 
of  wit,  he  heartily  enjoyed  the  anecdotes  which  enlivened  those 
hours  of  genuine  recreation. 

In  the  school-room  "Johnny  Crump"  (as  the  old  master  was 
sometimes  called)  spared  no  pains  to  maintain  order.  Usually  he 
sat  at  his  desk  with  his  spectacles  on,  writing  copies  or  mending 


142  Master    Tiles  tons   House. 

pens;  but  if  the  scholars  became  noisy,  he  would  get  up,  take  off 
his  glasses,  walk  to  the  front  of  the  desk,  and  stamp  on  the  floor 
with  his  foot,  saying,  "  What's  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  Bedlam's 
broke  loose  here,  I  should  think!  "#  And  then,  suiting  the  action 
to  the  word,  he  would  soon  discover  the  offenders,  and  bring  his 
crumpled  hand  into  such  close  contact  with  their  ears  that  they 
would  feel  as  if  suddenly  caught  in  a  vice. 

For  rapping  heads,  too,  there  was  nothing  like  this  same  manual 
instrument.  It  would  leave  an  impression  of  illustrated  authority 
never  to  be  forgotten.  Alluding  to  this  at  a  school  festival  once 
in  Faneuil  Hall,  Edward  Everett  (himself  one  of  Tileston's  pupils) 
said  that  a  blow  from  those  stiffened  fingers  would  have  done  no 
discredit  to  the  bill  of  an  albatross,  though  he  wished  it  to  be  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  he  spoke  from  observation  and  not  from 
experience.  Mr.  Everett  also  recalled  his  old  master's  long,  deep 
desk,  which  he  said  was  a  perfect  curiosity  shop  of  confiscated 
balls,  tops,  penknives,  marbles,  and  jewsharps,  —  the  accumulation 
of  forty  years.  The  speaker,  however,  gladly  acknowledged  his 
indebtedness  to  Master  Tileston  for  having  deprived  him  in  early 
life  of  all  claim  to  that  distinction  which  rests  upon  writing  a  hand 
which  nobody  can  read.  Certainly  no  better  proof  of  the  excel- 
lence of  Tileston's  work  could  be  desired  than  Mr.  Everett's  own 
autograph.     "  Das  Werk  lobt  den   Meister." 

*  Among  the  wax  figures  exhibited  at  the  Boston  Museum,  in  the  upper  story,  there  is  an 
interesting  group,  more  familiar  perhaps  to  the  former  generation  than  to  this,  representing  the 
old-fashioned  pedagogue  sitting  at  his  desk  and  absorbed  in  his  writing,  while  the  mischievous 
boys  are  slyly  amusing  themselves  in  various  ways  unbeknown  to  the  master. 

It  has  sometimes  been  said  that  this  group  was  meant  to  represent  Johnny  Tileston  and  his 
school ;  but  so  far  as  the  master  is  concerned,  this  thin,  consumptive-looking  specimen  in  wax  must 
not  be  taken  as  a  portrait  of  the  well-rounded  figure  of  our  old  North  End  pedagogue.  As  for  the 
school,  it  would  seem  to  answer  the  description  of  the  old  Bennet-Street  establishment  fairly  well, 
although,  of  course,  the  artist  has  chosen  a  moment  specially  favorable  for  his  purpose. 


Master    Tiles  tons   House.  143 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  old  master's  life  he  was  assisted  by 
Ezekiel  Little,  Elisha  Webb,  and  Peter  Conant.  His  usher,  Mas- 
ter Carter,  carried  the  Tileston  system  of  writing  to  a  still  greater 
degree  of  perfection. 

In  stature  Master  Johnny  was  short  and  rather  thick-set.  He 
often  came  to  school  puffing  audibly  as  if  out  of  breath.  His  stout 
cane,  with  the  date  1775  inscribed  upon  it,  is  now  in  the  collec- 
tion of  the  Bostonian  Society.  He  used  to  walk  up  Washington 
Street  nearly  every  day  to  regulate  his  watch  by  the  Old  South 
clock.  He  was  very  tenacious  of  the  old  customs,  and  would 
never  give  up  his  cocked  hat  and  powdered  wig.  Those  who 
remember  him  speak  of  his  long,  broad-skirted  coat,  with  wide 
lapels  over  the  pockets,  and  a  very  long  vest,  cut  away  at  the 
bottom.  His  knee-breeches,  also,  and  large  shoe-buckles  seemed 
to  be  a  necessary  part  of  a  man  who  belonged  more  to  the  last 
century  than  this. 

We  are  not  surprised  to  find  that  he  grew  to  be  somewhat 
pedantic,  though  he  never  lost  his  kindness  of  heart.  His  scholars 
remained  his  firmest  friends  through  life.  To  show  their  esteem 
for  him,  they  subscribed  to  a  fund  for  his  portrait,  to  be  painted  at 
full  length  by  Stuart.  It  was  proposed  that  he  and  his  wife  should 
have  it  during  their  lives,  and  that  it  should  then  become  the  prop- 
erty of  the  town  and  hang  in  Faneuil  Hall.  He  declined  their 
request  with  characteristic  modesty,  saying  that  as  no  such  honor 
had  ever  been  paid  to  any  of  the  former  school-masters,  he  certainly 
was  not  worthy  of  it.  He  consented,  however,  to  sit  for  a  smaller 
bust  portrait  by  Greenwood,  which  is  now  in  the  collection  of  Mr. 
Moses  Kimball  at  the  Boston  Museum. 

Master  Tileston  was  a  regular  attendant  at  the  New  North,  and 


144 


Master    Tilestoris   House. 


for  several  years  its  clerk,  as  his  bold,  round  handwriting  on  the 
ancient  records  will  testify.  He  was  one  of  the  projectors  of  the 
Massachusetts  Charitable  Society,  in  the  formation  of  which  he 
was  associated  with  Ephraim  Copeland  and  Barnabas  Webb.  His 
wife  survived  him,  but  he  left  no  descendants.  He  died  in  his 
ninety-second  year,  in  the  old  house  on  Prince  Street,  where  he 
had  lived  so  long,  and  was  followed  to  the  Granary  Burial  Ground 
by  a  procession  of  boys  from  the  Eliot  School. 


THE    NEWMAN   H 


been  a  land 

of  the  I 
[i  Thoi 


sx 


THE   NEWMAN   HOUSE 


T  the  southern  corner  of  Salem  and  Sheafe  Streets 
stands  a  large  three-story  brick  house  which  has  long 
been  a  landmark  at  the  North  End.  The  front  wall 
has  been  rebuilt ;  but  the  side  on  Sheafe  Street,  which 
is  laid  in  the  promiscuous  bond,  with  a  double  line  of  heavy  belts, 
remains  unchanged.  One  of  the  chimneys  is  built,  like  those  on 
the  Lincoln  house  opposite,  with  a  kind  of  panel,  in  the  early  style. 
The  rear  of  the  house  has  some  ancient  windows  of  different  sizes. 
In  1 741  Thomas  Newman,  a  Boston  merchant,  bought  this  house 
of  Jonathan  D wight,  innholder,  for  ,£1,100.  The  estate  measured 
42  by  80  feet.  Dwight  had  bought  it  in  1737  of  the  heirs  of  Seth 
Dwight,  son  of  Timothy  Dwight,  of  Dedham. 

Newman,  who  was  of  English  parentage,  married  in  1732  Mary, 
daughter  of  Peter  Thomas,  of  Boston.  He  made  several  business 
voyages  to  England,  and  was  lost  at  sea  about  1754.  His  oldest 
son,  Thomas  Churchman  Newman,  was  sent  to  England  in  1747 
to  finish  his  education  under  the  care  of  an  uncle,  Sir  Thomas 
Churchman,  of  Norwich;  and  eventually  he  married  and  remained 
there.  Peter,  the  second  son,  became  a  teacher  in  Virginia. 
John  and  Robert,  the  two  youngest,  were  apprenticed  to  trades 
in    Boston,  their  father  having    met  with  reverses  shortly  before 


150  The   Newman    House. 

his  death.  John  became  the  organist  of  Christ  Church,  and 
retained  the  position  through  life,  being  stricken  at  last  with 
paralysis  while  sitting  at  his  instrument  during  public  service, 
Dec.  12,  1784.  Robert  Newman  was  born  in  1752,  and  edu- 
cated in  Tileston's  school  (where  his  three  brothers  had  been, 
under  Master  Hicks,  before  him),  as  appears  from  a  bill  *  in 
Master  Johnny's  elegant  handwriting.  Wishing  to  assist  in  sup- 
porting the  family,  young  Newman  accepted  the  position  of  sexton 
at  Christ  Church.  Writing  of  this  to  his  eldest  brother  Thomas 
in  England,  who  adhered  steadfastly  to  the  patriot  cause,  he  says : 
11  The  times  were  so  hard  in  the  colonies  that  I  was  glad  to  take 
the  post  of  sexton  in  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler's  church."  Being  thus 
from  necessity  obliged  to  seek  a  livelihood,  Newman  was  in  many 
ways  brought  into  close  contact  with  the  mechanics  of  the  North 
End,  among  whom  he  had  learned  his  trade.  He  became  a 
freemason,  and  was  in  the  closest  sympathy  with  the  Revolution- 
ary movement.  Among  his  intimate  friends  wrere  Colonel  Edward 
Proctor,  Colonel  James  Robinson,  Henry  Fowle,  Jedediah  Parker, 
and  Nathaniel  Greenough. 

The  exploit  of  giving  the  signal  of  the  lanterns  in  the  church 
steeple  on  the  eventful  night  of  April  18,  1775,  has,  until  recently, 
always  been  attributed  to  Robert  Newman.  He  was  twenty-three 
years  old  at  the  time,  and  was  living  in  the  old  homestead.  British 
officers  were  quartered  upon  him,  as  the  house  was  large  and  could 

*  "  Mr.s  Mary  Newman  to  John  Tileston  Dr 

£    s.     d. 
1766.     To  yr  sons  schooling  from  Ist  December  to  21st  March  (3^4  m°)     ..07       6 

To  sundry  books 1     10 


£     s     d. 


Old  Tenor     3     10     o         Lawf    money 09 


The   Newman    House,  151 

accommodate  quite  a  number.  His  account  of  the  affair  was  well 
known  among  his  contemporaries,  and  never  questioned.  It  was 
always  consistent  with  itself  as  well  as  with  Revere's  narrative  and 
the  Devens  memorandum,  the  only  written  authorities  upon  the 
subject.  He  often  described  the  scene,  saying  that  he  was  anx- 
iously expecting  information  from  a  friend  who  was  watching  the 
movements  of  the  troops.  Disguising  his  plans,  he  took  a  candle 
and  went  to  bed  early  that  night.  His  room  was  upstairs  in  the 
rear  of  the  house.  Presently  he  got  out  through  a  window  and 
let  himself  down  along  the  sloping  roof  (which  can  be  seen  in  the 
accompanying  picture),  and  over  the  shed  into  the  back  yard,  and 
so  out  into  Sheafe  Street. 

Whoever  the  friend  was  with  whom  he  conferred,  whether 
Barnard  or  Pulling,  or  both,  Newman  with  his  keys  and  lanterns 
entered  the  church  (which  is  very  near  his  house  on  the  other  side 
of  Salem  Street),  as  a  sexton  may  do  at  any  time,  and  locked  the 
door  behind  him.  It  is  not  stated  that  any  one  went  in  with  him. 
If  such  a  supposition  is  necessary  to  reconcile  conflicting  theories, 
there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  it  may  not  be  admitted.  Ascend- 
ing the  tower,  he  gave  the  preconcerted  signal,  and  then  came 
down,  passed  through  the  church,  and  jumped  out  of  a  back 
window.  It  was  but  a  few  steps  around  through  Elit's  (now 
Unity)  Street  and  Love  Lane  (now  Tileston  Street)  back  to  his 
own  gate.  Climbing  noiselessly  up  the  roof,  he  soon  reached  his 
room  and  was  again   in  bed. 

As  to  the  sexton's  arrest  we  know  but  little.  No  record  has 
been  found  of  any  such  proceeding.  The  story  has  always  been 
that  he  was  taken  by  the  British  and  held  for  a  time,  but  as 
nothing  could  be  proved  against  him  he  was  soon  released. 


152  The   Newman    House. 

So  firmly  has  this  version  of  the  affair  become  established 
among  the  old  families  of  the  North  End  that  there  is  no  prospect 
of  its  ever  being  surrendered.  Not  only  the  Newman  family,  but 
the  descendants  of  Colonel  Conant,  Captain  Barnard,,  William 
Parkman,  John  Barber,  Henry  Fowle,  and  other  patriots  have 
preserved  it,  independently  of  each  other,  and  with  entire  confi- 
dence in  its  truthfulness. 

The  recent  claim  of  Dr.  Watson  in  behalf  of  his  kinsman,  John 
Pulling,  is  based  partly  upon  a  tradition  in  the  Pulling  family,  and 
partly  upon  inferences  which,  however  ingenious,  are  evidently 
stretched  to  meet  the  case,  as  Mr.  Wheildon  has  shown  in  his 
pamphlet.  The  family  tradition  is  interesting,  and  may  be  so  far 
true  as  to  admit  Pulling  to  a  share  of  the  honor  of  giving  the 
signal ;  but  that  it  should  exclude  Newman  altogether  from  any 
participation  in  the  brave  deed  is  demanding  what  a  candid  review 
of  all  the  evidence  will  not  warrant.  Though  it  may  be  impossible 
to  say  precisely  what  part  each  played  in  the  exciting  drama, 
unprejudiced  minds  will  probably  hereafter  allow  that  they  may 
both  have  had  a  hand  in   it. 

Robert  Newman  was  twice  married.  Of  his  seven  children, 
the  oldest,  Robert,  was  killed  in  the  WTar  of  1812.  One  of  his 
daughters,  Eliza  Harriet,  became  the  wife  of  the  missionary 
Wheelock,  and  accompanied  him  to  Burmah.  An  account  of 
their  labors  lias  been  published  in  a  memoir.  The  youngest  son, 
who  carefully  preserved  the  family  tradition,  was  named  after  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Haskell,  and  is  well  remembered  in  Boston.  He 
married  Melinda,  daughter  of  Nathan  Hancock,  a  cousin  of  the 
Governor. 

The  Newman  house  formerly  had  a  cupola  which  commanded 


The   Newman    House.  153 

a  fine  view  over  the  harbor.  Here,  we  can  imagine,  Thomas 
Newman,  who  was  a  large  importer,  often  went  to  watch  for  the 
arrival  of  ships,  in  those  days  of  long  and  uncertain  voyages.  The 
front  door  was  then  reached  by  a  flight  of  stone  steps  extending 
both  ways  and  obtruding  into  the  street,  in  the  Dutch  fashion. 
The  introduction  of  sidewalks  caused  the  removal  of  these,  and 
many  similar  steps,  in  different  parts  of  the  town.  An  allusion  to 
the  old  garden  is  found  in  a  letter  from  the  brother  in  England, 
written  in  1784,  in  which  he  says:  "  Pray  does  the  grape-vine  in 
our  garden  (which  ran  up  against  Mr.  Clough's  dwelling  *)  continue 
to  thrive?  Is  the  hen-house  well  stocked,  and  do  you  continue 
to  keep  pigeons  as  formerly  ?  " 

The  estate  was  sold  by  the  heirs  of  Robert  Newman,  in  1823, 
to  Eleazer  Pratt,  a  representative  of  Ward  1  in  the  city  govern- 
ment under  Mayors  Quincy,  Otis,  and  Eliot.  Mr.  Pratt  rebuilt 
the  front  wall  and  made  some  changes  in  the  interior.  He  also 
built  the  brick  tenement  in  his  yard  on  Sheafe  Street,  where  Justin 
Field  afterwards  lived. 

Adjoining  the  Newman  house  on  Salem  Street  is  a  large  brick 
dwelling,  facing  the  south,  and  once  connected  with  extensive 
gardens  reaching  through  to  Margaret  Street.  This  was  the 
residence  of  Major  John  Bray,  a  custom-house  officer  for  many 
years,  and  the  owner  of  Bray's  Wharf,  where  Chatham  Street  now 
is.  McJor  Bray  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  a  large  packer  of  fish. 
He  was  a  selectman,  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery   Company,  and    a   founder  of    the    Columbian   Artillery 


*  A  sketch  of  Mr.  Clough's  dwelling,  which  is  still  standing  on  the  corner  of  Sheafe  and  Margaret 
Streets,  is  given  on  page  155. 


154 


The   Newman    House. 


Company,  a  favorite  organization  composed  mostly  of  North  End 
mechanics,   whose    gun-house   was    on   Copp's    Hill. 

Every  day,  precisely  at  eleven,  he  would  throw  down  his  tools, 
put  on  his  coat,  and  start  for  Walsh's  lemon-stand  on  Dock 
Square.  The  only  foreign  fruit  to  be  had  at  that  time  in  Bos- 
ton was  sold  in  the  street  from  small  stands  at  three  or  four 
central  points.  When  lemons  were  very  expensive,  the  Major 
would  take  out  a  handful  of  change,  and  tell  Walsh  to  help  him- 
self, as  he  did  not  wish  to  know  the  cost.  He  would  then  go 
home  with  his  lemon,  prepare  his  punch,  and  take  his  dinner; 
and  by  half-past  one  he  was  always  back  at  work  again  at  his 
wharf. 

Major  Brays  name  will  recall  to  many  old  residents  the  circum- 
stance of  his  being  robbed  by  Michael  Martin  in  182 1,  when 
driving  in  a  chaise  on  Medford  turnpike  toward  night  with  his 
wife.  Martin  was  a  noted  highwayman,  and  was  soon  caught, 
tried,  and  hanged  at  Lechmere  Point. 


IMS 


SHEAFE    STREET. 


HIS  is  the  oldest  house  in  the  vicinity,  having  been 
built  and  occupied  before  1725  by  Benjamin  Clough, 
who  also  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  other 
side  of  Sheafe  Street.  His  will,  dated  1744,  gave 
the  house  to  his  wife,  Faith,  upon  whose  death  it  went  to  their 
son  William,  whose  only  daughter  married  Ebenezer  Waters. 
The  Waters  family  retained  possession  of  it  until   1859. 

In  the  will  above  alluded  to,  Benjamin  Clough  gives  to  his  wife, 
"  my  negro  woman  named  Jenny,  and  her  child  Violet ; "  to  his 
son  Benjamin,  "  my  negro  boy  called  Prince ; "  and  to  his  son 
William,  '•  my  two  negro  men,  viz.  :   Peter  and  Boston." 

Originally  there  was  no  door  at  the  end  of  the  house,  the  front 
being  on  the  southern  side,  where  the  gate  is  seen,  overlooking  an 


156  Sheaf e   Street. 

extensive  garden  now  covered  by  tenements.  The  gambrel  roof, 
tall  chimneys,  and  generous  windows  give  the  old  dwelling  a  char- 
acter all  its  own.  The  underpinning  is  composed  of  unsplit  field- 
stone  rubble  laid  in  mortar.  The  Sheafe-Street  wall  has,  between 
the  courses  of  brick,  several  long  strips  of  wood  to  which  furring 
studs  could  be  nailed  for  the  purpose  of  sheathing  the  wall  with  a 
wooden  front  for  additional  protection  from  the  weather  on  the 
exposed  side.  This  was  frequently  done  in  colonial  times.  Several 
examples  of  it  may  still  be  seen  in  the  city,  one  being  that  of  the 
old  Province   House. 

The  names  of  Sheafe  and  Margaret  Streets  preserve  the  memory 
of  Jacob  Sheafe  (one  of  the  wealthiest  settlers,  and  a  selectman  of 
Boston,  who  died  in  1659)  and  of  Margaret  his  wife  (daughter  of 
Henry  Webb),  who  afterward  married  the  Rev.  Thomas  Thacher, 
the  first  minister  of  the  Old  South  Church,  for  whom  Thacher 
Street  is  named. 

Sheafe  Street,  once  a  pasture,  then  a  lane,  gradually  became  a 
favorite  quarter  for  residences.  Some  of  the  old  mansions,  with 
their  fine  gardens,  are  still  remembered;  among  them  Colonel  Rob- 
inson's (where  the  Ingraham  School  now  stands),  James  Maxwell's, 
and  the  Hammatts'.  This  was  one  of  the  last  streets  to  succumb 
to  the  inevitable  change  which  stripped  the  North  End  of  its  old- 
time  character.  So  rapid  was  the  hegira  at  last,  that  in  one  year 
no  less  than  nine  families  who  had  eaten  their  previous  Thanks- 
giving dinner  in  this  neighborhood  partook  of  the  next  one  in 
their  new  homes  at  the  South   End. 

In  Samuel  Burrill's  house  (afterward  Abiel  Buttrick's),  on  the 
north  side  of  the  street,  was  formed  the  First  Methodist  Church 
of  Boston,  July  13,  1792. 


Sheaf e   Street.  1 5  7 

In  the  early  part  of  this  century,  Sheafe  Street  was  the  home 
of  so  many  clergymen  that  it  might  properly  have  been  called 
Divinity  Row.  Here,  directly  opposite  the  Newman  house,  lived 
the  venerable  Dr.  Stillman,  whose  garden  extended  through  to 
Hull  Street.  In  the  brick  block  numbered  20-24,  lived  Lyman 
Beecher,  Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  Sebastian  Streeter,  and  Dr.  Blagden. 
On  the  other  side  lived  Dr.  Croswell,  William  Bentley,  Baron 
Stow,  and  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith,  the  author  of  "  America."  Here  also 
were  the  homes  of  Justin  Edwards,  Joseph  H.  Towne,  Arthur  B. 
Fuller,  and  other  well-known  pastors  of  the  North  End  churches. 
Among  the  prominent  laymen  of  this  street  may  be  mentioned 
Dr.  Buck,  Bowen  Harrington,  Captain  Francis  Green  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary army,  Thomas  Green  (ex-Mayor  of  Chelsea),  Deacon  John 
C.  Proctor,  Samuel  Aspinwall,  Charles  E.  Wiggin,  Captain  Joseph 
Hartt,  Father  Kemp,  Simon  W.  Robinson,  Thomas  Snow,  Mayor 
Wells,  Thomas  Hollis,  Levi  Conant,  Henry  J.  Oliver,  Henry  N. 
Hooper,  Stephen  Winchester  (brother  of  Colonel  William  P. 
Winchester,  after  whom  the  town  of  Winchester  was  named), 
Robert  Restieaux,  John  Snelling,  Captain  Elwell,  Joseph  Eustis, 
Martin  Bates,  Stephen  H.  Rhoades  (captain  of  the  Rifle  Ran- 
gers), William  Parkman,  Dr.  French,  Henry  K.  May,  and  Peter 
Ripley. 

These  are  fair  representative  names  among  the  many  which 
have  given  to  the  North  End  that  sterling  character  which  it  had 
before  the  "  Neck  "  and  the  "  Back  Bay  "  drew  off  its  vital  forces. 
A  few  of  the  same  lineage  still  remain  in  possession  of  the  old 
sites,  but  it  is  painfully  evident  to  those  who  remember  what  the 
social  life  here  once  was,  that  "  our  inheritance  is  turned  to 
strangers,  our  houses  to  aliens." 


Q/@faz>>&On0  jS**<^ 


Josiah  Snelling,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Salem  Street  in  1782,  in  the 
old  Snelling  house,  which  stood  next  to  the  Governor  Phips  es- 
tate, with  a  large  garden  and  orchard  extending  back  to  the  burial 
ground.  His  father,  being  a  baker,  was  offered  large  sums  by  the 
British  if  he  would  furnish  them  with  bread.  The  sturdy  patriot 
declined,  and  consequently  had  to  give  up  his  house  and  leave  the 
town,  with  his  family,  during  the  occupation. 

Josiah,  Jr.,  early  developed  a  military  taste,  and  became  a  distin- 
guished officer  in  the  United  States  Army,  taking  a  prominent 
part  in  the  battles  of  Tippecanoe,  Brownstown,  and  Lyon's  Creek. 
He  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  6th  Infantry,  and 
afterward  Colonel  of  the  5th.  As  the  architect  of  Fort  Snelling, 
Minn.,  he  will  long  be  remembered  at  the  West.  Colonel  Snelling 
died  at  Washington,  Au£.  20,  1828.  The  above  likeness  is  taken 
from  the  original  miniature  portrait  on  ivory,  in  the  possession  of 
Miss  C.   E.  Cabot. 


CHRIST    CHURC 


Buil: 


c 

:r.      i 


J 


CHRIST    CHURCH 


MID  all  the  changes  which  have  passed  over  this 
neighborhood,  Christ  Church  remains  substantially 
unchanged.  The  waves  of  Time  have  beat  against  it, 
and  swept  away  many  a  house  that  once  nestled  in 
its  shadow;  yet  still  it  stands  like  a  rock,  calm  and  majestic, 
as  of  old.  Towering  above  all  surrounding  objects,  and  conse- 
crating by  its  presence  the  dwellings  that  still  remain  to  keep  it 
company,  the  venerable  sanctuary  is  at  once  the  chief  ornament 
and  pride  of  the  North  End.  In  the  memory  of  many  who  are 
scattered  over  all  the  land,  the  music  of  its  chimes  is  lingering  yet, 
like  the  echo  of  sweet  voices  gently  repeating  the  melodies  of  the 
past.  Built  in  1723,  this  is  the  oldest  church  edifice  now  standing 
in  Boston;  and  judging  from  the  solidity  of  its  construction  and 
from  the  interest  taken  in  its  preservation,  it  bids  fair  to  outlast  many 
of  the  churches  which  are  built  in  our  own  day.  It  was  an  offshoot 
from  King's  Chapel,  and  the  second  place  of  worship  for  members 
of  the  Church  of  England  in  the  town.  Although  never  in  the 
colonial  period  a  self-supporting  church,  it  had  a  good  congre- 
gation, and  did  much  to  promote  the  religious  and  social  welfare 
of  the  community. 

Externally  Christ  Church  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  the  Old 
South,  which  was  built  seven  years  later.     In  both  cases  it  was  the 


1 66  Christ  Church. 

steeple  which   received  the  chief  attention   of  the  architect,  and 
which  must  be  regarded  as  unusually  graceful  and  imposing. 

The  accompanying  view  is  taken  from  Hull  Street,  where  the  pro- 
portions of  the  structure  are  seen  to  the  best  advantage.  The  inte- 
rior, which  at  first  seems  small,  is  evidently  modelled  after  the  designs 
of  the  school  of  Wren,  of  which  there  are  many  examples  to  be  seen 
in  England.  The  galleries  are  supported  by  pilasters,  which  are 
carried  up  to  the  roof,  giving  the  effect  of  a  nave  and  side-aisles, 
—  an  effect  which  is  well  sustained  by  the  transverse  vaulting. 
Formerly  there  was  a  central  aisle  and  a  chancel  window,  but  the 
demand  for  increased  accommodations  in  the  church  and  vestry 
led  to  their  removal.  The  position  of  the  pulpit  has  been  changed, 
and  the  original  square  pews  have  gone,  but  the  general  features 
of  the  church  remain  as  they  have  always  been.  The  mouldings 
are  worked  by  hand  in  the  solid  wood.  The  old-fashioned  hinges 
and  nails  on  the  pew-doors  are  of  wrought  iron.  On  either 
side  of  the  organ  is  an  upper  gallery  to  which  the  colored  people 
were  formerly  assigned.  An  abundance  of  light  is  admitted 
through  the  large  plain  windows,  each  containing  eighty-five 
panes  of  old  glass.  The  four  figures  of  the  cherubim,  standing 
on  slender  pedestals  before  the  organ,  were  presented  in  i  746,  to- 
gether with  "two  fine  glass  branches  and  chains,"  which  have  long 
since  disappeared.  They  were  a  part  of  a  valuable  prize  brought 
to  Boston  in  a  French  vessel  which  Captain  T.  J.  Gruchy  of  the 
privateer  "  Queen  of    Hungary  "  had   captured.*     It   is  supposed 

*  The  following  entry  appears  on  the  books  in  the  handwriting  of  F.  Beteilhe,  clerk:  "June 
16,  1746.  Whereas  Messrs  Mr.  Robert  Jenkins,  Capt.  Grushia,  Mr.  Hugh  McDaniel,  Mr.  Jno. 
Gould,  Mr.  Jno.  Baker,  oners  of  the  Priveter  Queen  of  Hungary,  hath  made  a  present  to  Christ 
Church  in  Boston  of  4  cherubims  and  2  glass  branches  taken  by  ye  said  Vessell,  Voted,  That  the 
branches  be  hung  in  y*  body  of  the  church  and  yc  cherubims  placed  on  yc  top  of  the  Organ." 


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Christ  Church.  167 

that  they  were  destined  for  a  church  in  Canada.  The  two  brass 
chandeliers  now  hanging  in  the  church  were  not  given  at  this  time, 
as  has  been  generally  stated,  but  were  here  at  least  eleven  years 
before,  as  appears  from  an  inventory  of  the  church  property  made 
in  1735,  in  which  they  are  described  as  "  Two  large  brass  branches 
with  iron  rods.' 

The  first  organ  was  obtained  in  1736,  and  the  second  in 
1752.*  In  connection  with  the  extensive  renovation  which  the 
church  has  undergone  during  the  past  year,  a  new  organ  has 
taken  the  place  of  the  old  one,  although  in  appearance  there 
has  been  but  little  change.!  The  clock  on  the  organ  gallery 
was  cleaned  in  1783,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  placed  there 
long  before  the  Revolution. %  One  of  the  chief  treasures  of  this 
church  is  its  valuable  communion  service,  a  part  of  which  was 
presented  by  King  George  II.  in  1733,  through  the  influence 
of  Governor  Belcher.  A  folio  Bible  (one  of  the  so-called  Vinegar 
Edition  of  171 7)  and  several  prayer-books  were  included  in  the 
royal  gift.  Other  pieces  of  plate  have  been  given  by  Thomas 
Tudor,    Leonard    Vassall,    Arthur   Savage,    and    Hannah    Smith. 

*  In  1759,  instructions  signed  by  J.  Pigeon  and  Thos.  Ivers,  wardens,  were  given  to  James 
Greaton,  the  minister-elect,  who  was  about  to  proceed  to  London  for  ordination.  Regarding  an 
organist  they  ask:  "that  you  would  endeavour,  when  please  God  you  arrive  there,  to  find  a  person 
that  understands  to  play  well  on  an  Organ,  that  is  a  Tradesman,  a  Barber  would  be  most  agree- 
able, one  that  has  the  character  of  an  Honest  industrious  man,  that  will  be  willing  to  come  to 
Boston  on  the  following  Conditions,  to  have  fifteen  or  not  exceeding  Twenty  pounds  sterling  $ 
annum  to  play  on  the  Organ  in  said  Church  at  the  usual  times,  to  have  his  passage  paid,  and 
to  have  the  encouragement  of  the  Congregation  improveing  him  as  they  have  occasion  in  his 
Occupation." 

t  Through  the  legacy  of  William  A.  Howard,  of  Warwick,  Mass.,  the  church  received 
$8,358.75,  which  was  judiciously  used  in  the  work  of  repairs  and  renovation. 

\  The  following  entry  appears  under  date  of  Nov.  16,  1749:  "Voted,  that  ye  Clock  which  Capt. 
Southwark  gave  to  Christ  Church  be  finished  with  all  Speed." 


1 68  Christ  Church. 

The  altar-piece,  the  decalogue,  and  the  marble  bust  of  Washington 
were  given  by  Shubael  Bell. 

Among  the  early  acquisitions  of  this  church  was  "  the  first 
ring  of  bells  cast  for  the  British  Empire  in  North  America." 
These  bells  were  eight  in  number,  each  one  bearing  a  device, 
and  were  obtained  from  England  by  subscription  in  1744.  They 
have  been  well  used  and  are  in  good  condition  to-day.  Their 
welcome  chimes  are  rung  not  only  on  the  ordinary  occasions  of 
church  services  and  festivals,  but  whenever  a  wedding  march 
is  wanted  or  a  funeral  requiem ;  whenever  there  is  a  celebration 
of  local  or  patriotic  interest,  calling  for  a  jubilant  or  solemn 
expression  of  the  popular  feeling,  such  as  these  voices  of  the 
tower  can  give.  They  proclaimed  the  news  of  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  May  19,  1766,  when 
the  steeple  was  gayly  hung  with  flags.  They  also  rang  at  the 
opening  of  the  Charles  River  Bridge,  June  17,  1786.  Many  per- 
sons remember  hearing  the  chimes  all  over  the  city  and  as  far 
out  as  Harvard  College,  in  the  earlier  days  when  the  sound  was 
not  broken  by  the  tall  buildings  which  have  since  been  erected. 
Charlestown  and  Chelsea  can  hear  the  tunes  to-day  better  than 
most  parts  of  Boston. 

The  ministry  of  this  church,  in  the  order  of  succession,  has  been 
as  follows:  Timothy  Cutler,  1 723—1 765  ;  James  Greaton,  1759- 
1767;  Mather  Byles,  Jr.,  1 768—1 775.  Church  closed  from  April, 
1775,  to  August,  1778.*     Stephen  C.  Lewis,  1 778—1784 ;    William 


*  The  church  was  practically  closed  until  1783.  During  the  interval,  services  were  held 
occasionally  to  prevent  the  property  from  falling  into  other  hands.  So  poor  did  the  church 
become,  that  in  1789  its  communion  plate,  weighing  343  ounces,  was  mortgaged  for  the  sum  of 
A6  los. 


Christ  Church. 


169 


Montague,  1786-1792;  William  Walter,  1792-1800;  Samuel  Has- 
kell, 1801-1803;  Asa  Eaton,  1803-1828;  William  Croswell,  1829- 
1840';  John  Woart,  1840-1851  ;  William  T.  Smithett,  1852-1859, 
John  T.  Burrill,  1860-1868:  Henry  Burroughs,  1868-1881  ; 
William  H.  Munroe,   1881-. 


W*^  JukUlcfaf 


AUTOGRAPHS   OF   THE   FIRST    MINISTER    AND   SOME   OF   THE   EARLY   SUPPORTERS   OF 

CHRIST   CHURCH.* 

*  The  following  items  are  extracted  from  the  early  records :  Voted,  April  6,  1724,  that  Thomas 
Wells  "sett  in  the  Gallerys  and  keep  the  boys  in  order,  that  no  Disturbance  be  in  time  of  Divine 
Service,  and  that  Fifty-two  Shillings  f  annum  be  paid  him  out  of  the  Contribution." 

July  4,  1726.  Voted  to  take  a  contribution  for  the  benefit  of  Dr.  Cutler,  he  being  "in  mean 
circumstances,"  and  his  "  present  allowance  "  not  being  "  sufficient  to  maintain  his  family."  Voted 
to  pay  Mr.  Hunt  for  horse-hire  for  Dr.  Cutler  and  clerk  to  Scituate,  to  preach,  40J. 

Nov.  21,  1726.  "Voted,  that  for  the  future  the  sexton  shall  keep  ye  rails  at  the  Altar  clear 
from  Boys  and  Negroes  setting  there."  "Voted,  that  no  Nailes  nor  pinns  be  put  in  the  Pillars 
nor*  the  front  of  the  Gallerys  with  a  design  to  hang  hatts  on." 

May  15,  1727.  "Voted,  that  all  the  Gold  and  Silver  which  shall  be  put  in  the  Contribution 
boxes  be  for  the  Future  laid  by  to  make  plate  for  the  Church's  use." 

1728.  "Voted,  that  the  Rever'1-  Docr-  Tim'-  Cutler,  in  consideration  of  ye  great  experience 
he  is  at  by  reason  of  numerous  Familly,  have  Twenty  Shillings  D?  week  added  to  his  Salary." 


170  CJirist  Church. 

One  of  the  first  Sunday-schools  in  the  country  was  established 
by  Dr.  Eaton  in  June,  181 5,  in  the  small  academy  building  which 
formerly  stood  next  to  the  church  on  the  north  side.  Joseph  W. 
Ingraham  was  for  twenty  years  its  superintendent. 

Under  the  church  are  buried  many  families  of  the  early  time. 
Thirty-three  tombs,  arranged  in  rows,  occupy  all  the  available 
space*  In  the  one  marked  20  was  deposited  the  body  of  Major 
Pitcairn  until  its  removal  to  England. 

The  steeple  has  a  history,  fully  as  interesting  to  the  general 
public  as  the  church  itself.  When  finished,  in  1740.  it  was  191 
feet  high.t  Revere's  engraving  of  Boston,  executed  in  1 768,  shows 
how  it  dominated  over  everything  else  at  the  North  End.  From 
its  upper  windows  General  Gage  is  said  to  have  watched  the 
progress  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  From  the  same  windows 
rockets  were  thrown  on  the  arrival  of  the  news  of  the  surrender 
of  Cornwallis,  while  the  bells  in  the  tower  rang  out  their  merry 
peals.  In  1804,  on  the  evening  of  the  9th  of  October,  the 
steeple  was  blown  down  in  a  violent  gale,  and  fell  on  a  house 
near  the  corner  of  Love  Lane,  doing  much  damage.  The  roof 
of  the  tower  of  King's  Chapel  was  taken  off  in  the  same  storm, 
and  carried  two  hundred  feet  through  the  air.  Revere's  foundry, 
in  Lynn  Street,  was  stripped  of  its  wooden  covering ;  and  a  stage 
on  West  Boston  bridge  was  upset  by  the  force  of  the  wind,  and 
several    passengers   were    injured.     In    Charlestown,  Dr.    Morse's 


*  Tombs  were  first  built  under  the  church  in  1732.  Lots  were  sold  only  to  proprietors  and 
contributors,  at  a  cost  of  ^5  each,  the  construction  to  be  according  to  a  uniform  plan. 

t  The  charges  for  rum  during  the  building  of  the  steeple  are  curious  and  suggestive,  to  say 
nothing  of  such  items  as  "sugger,  butter,  eggs,  Iteefe,  bread,  Veile,  mutton,  Lamb,  Greens  and 
Roots  for  the  Raiseing  Dinner" 


Christ  Church. 


171 


spire,  though  a  new  and  strong  one,  was  badly  bent,  and  the 
Baptist  meeting-house  was  partly  unroofed. 

A  new  steeple  for  Christ  Church  was  erected  in  1807,  upon 
the  old  model,  though  not  so  high  by  sixteen  feet,  under  the 
direction  of  Charles  Bulfinch.  Forty  years  afterward  the  spire, 
being  in  need  of  repairs,  was  taken  down,  put  in  order,  and  hoisted 
back  into  position.  This  was  considered  a  triumph  of  mechanical 
skill.  The  clock  was  not  added  until  1870.  These  brick  walls, 
which  in  the  tower  are  three  and  a  half  feet  thick,  are  among  the 
few  examples  of  the  English  bond  remaining  in  Boston.  The 
old  State  House  and  the  remnant  of  the  Province  House  are 
of  the  same  construction. 

In  the  course  of  time  this  church,  being  the  most  northerly 
place  of  worship  in  the  town  and  the  only  Episcopal  Church 
at  the  North  End,  naturally  began  to  be  known  as  the  North 
Church.  There  is  abundant  evidence  that  it  was  sometimes  called 
by  this  name  even  before  the  Revolution.  The  name  of  Old 
North  Church,  however,  was  not  applied  to  it  until  quite  recently, 
and  historically  does  not  belong  to  it,  but  to  the  ancient  church 
of  the  Mathers,  organized  in  1650  as  the  Second  Church  in  Boston, 
and  located  in  North  Square.  That  church,  being  the  only  one 
at  the  North  End  for  more  than  half  a  century,  acquired  the  name 
of  North  Church;  and  when  the  New  North  was  organized  in 
1 714,  the  elder  sister,  by  way  of  distinction,  was  called  the  Old 
North.  Under  that  name  it  flourished  until  the  untimely  destruc- 
tion of  its  edifice,  by  order  of  General  Howe,  for  fire-wood  during 
the  winter  of  the  siege.  The  congregation  afterward  united  with 
the  new  Brick  or  "  Cockerel  Church,"  as  it  was  often  called,  and 
so  the  Old   North  technically  ceased  to  exist  in  name,   although 


172  Christ  Church. 

represented  to  this  day  by  the  Second  Church.  Yet  its  place  in 
the  history  of  Boston  is  so  conspicuous,  that  the  associations  which 
cluster  around  its  name  ought  not  to  be  disturbed.  It  would 
prevent  much  confusion  therefore,  in  the  future,  if  people  would 
call  Christ  Church  by  its  proper  name,  and  remember  that  the 
habit  of  calling  it  by  any  other  has  been  the  occasion  of  needless 
controversy. 

Some  doubt  has  been  expressed  as  to  the  building  referred  to 
by  Revere  in  his  narrative  of  events,  printed  in  1798,  when  he 
spoke  of  his  plan  of  showing  the  lantern  signal  "  in  the  North 
Church  steeple."  He  evidently  used  the  name  which  at  the  close 
of  the  last  century  (more  than  twenty  years  after  the  demolition 
of  the  Old  North)  had  come  to  be  commonly  applied  to  Christ 
Church.  The  theory  has  been  advanced  that  he  meant  the  Old 
North  Meeting-house,  which  stood  in  North  Square.  Against  such 
a  theory  there  are  three  serious  objections  :  first,  the  venerable 
building  in  North  Square  was  not  commonly  called  the  North 
Church,  but  the  Old  North  Meeting-house,  or  simply  the  Old 
North ;  secondly,  it  had  no  "  steeple,"  but  only  a  belfry ;  thirdly, 
it  did  not  command  a  good  view  of  Charlestown,  as  Copp's  Hill 
lay  directly  between.  Moreover,  all  the  traditions  of  the  North 
End,  without  exception,  are  that  the  signal  was  given  from  the 
church  in  Salem  Street.  The  objection  that  this  church  was 
under  English  influence,  and  could  not  therefore  have  been  used 
for  such  a  purpose,  disappears  when  we  remember  that  Dr.  Byles, 
its  rector,  was  obliged  to  leave  on  the  very  day  of  the  signal,  on 
account  of  his  tory  proclivities ;  and  that  the  sexton,  who  is 
believed  to  have  performed  the  deed,  was  one  of  the  North  End 
mechanics,  and  always  in  sympathy  with  the  patriot  cause. 


Christ  Church.  173 

The  city  authorities,  after  hearing  all  that  was  to  be  said  upon 
the  subject,  decided  that  this  was,  beyond  a  doubt,  the  place  of 
the  famous  signal  ;  and  wishing  to  commemorate  so  important 
an  event,  they  caused  a  tablet  to  be  placed  on  the  front  of  the 
tower,  in   1878,  with  the  following  inscription:  — 


THE    SIGNAL    LANTERNS    OF 

PAUL     REVERE 

DISPLAYED    IN    THE    STEEPLE    OF    THIS    CHURCH 

APRIL  18,   1775 

WARNED    THE    COUNTRY    OF    THE    MARCH 

OF   THE    BRITISH    TROOPS    TO 

LEXINGTON     AND     CONCORD 


;  Not  for  thy  pomp  and  pride  of  place, 

Not  for  thy  relics  rare 
Of  kings  and  ministers  of  grace 

Whose  names  thy  vessels  bear : 
Not  for  thy  boast  of  high  degree, 

Nor  charms  of  gorgeous  style, 
Hast  thou  been  ever  dear  to  me, 

O  thou  time-honored  pile  ! 
But  for  thy  constant  truth,  which  still 

Preserves  from  age  to  age 
Unmoved,  through  good  report  and  ill, 

The  fathers'  heritage. 
For  eightscore  years  thy  lofty  vaults 

With  those  ascriptions  ring 
Which  lift  the  soul,  while  it  exalts 

The  Christ,  of  Glory  King. 
And  well  might  walls,  so  taught,  cry  out, 

If  human  lips  were  dumb. 
And  aisles  spontaneous  swell  the  shout 

Until  the  Bridegroom  come." 


*74 


Jo  vhA^viuvrm  afjjotrfim  jn/lctvbKQiaptct 

/733 


This  Bible  measures  19x13  inches  and  is  4X  inches  thick,  and  the  flagons  are  13  inches 
high.  The  articles  were  obtained  and  shipped  by  Henry  Newman,  July  13,  1733,  "on  the  New 
Cambridge  Galley,  Capt.  John  Crocker,  commander,  in  one  chest  markt  and  numbered  as 
in  the  margent  and  consigned  to  Mr.  Andrew  Belcher,  merch't  at  Boston."  The  charges  were 
^"26  i6j.  \od. 


n 


THE    GALLOUPE    HOUSE. 


IRECTLY  opposite  Christ  Church  is  a  quiet,  respec- 
table, ancient-looking  street,  with  its  wooden  houses 
undisturbed  and  familiar  chiefly  to  people  who  know 
Copp's  Hill  Burying-ground,  to  which  it  leads. 
This  street  was  cut  through  the  old  pasture  of  John  Hull,  the 
mint-master,  according  to  a  deed  signed  by  his  daughter  Hannah 
and  her  distinguished  husband,  Judge  Sewall,  in  1701,  conveying 
the  strip  of  land  as  a  gift  to  the  town  "  to  be  forever  hereafter  called 
and  known  by  the  name  of  Hull  Street."  All  honor  to  the  learned 
Judge  and  his  liberal  wife,  not  only  for  giving  Boston  a  good  street 
with  a  good  name,  but  for  their  singular  wisdom  in  providing  that 
the  name  should  never  be  changed.  Well  does  Mr.  Bowditch  say 
that  the  Judge,  in  this  matter,  "  was  decidedly  in  advance,  not  only 
of  his  own  age,  but  of  our  own."  If  our  municipal  authorities 
only  knew  the  endless  difficulties  created  by  the  frequent  and 
capricious  changes  which  have  been  made  in  the  names  of  our 
streets,  they  would  no  longer  repeat  the  folly. 

One  of  the  oldest  and  best-preserved  houses  on  Hull  Street 
stands  on  the  south  side  at  No.  16.  It  is  a  good  specimen  of 
a  style  of  wooden  dwelling  which  became  very  common  in  and 
around  Boston.  Built  at  a  time  when  each  house  could  have 
its  plot  of  land,  it  was  placed  endwise  upon  the  street  so  as  to 


180  The  Galloupe  House. 

front  upon  the  garden,  which  in  this  case  left  an  unbroken  view 
to  Salem  Street.  In  1724,  one  year  after  the  erection  of  Christ 
Church,  Ebenezer  Clough,  a  selectman  and  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  New  North,  sold  this  land  to  Philip  Howell,  who  soon 
after  built  upon  it  the  house  which  is  seen  in  the  picture.  The 
frame  is  of  oak,  filled  in  solid  with  brick  and  clay.  The  original 
windows  on.  the  street  were  but  one  in  each  story;  and  they 
were  quite  small,  like  that  in  the  gable,  which  has  not  been 
changed. 

After  passing  through  the  hands  of  Samuel  Whitman,  David 
Black,  and  Benjamin  Lee,  the  estate  was  purchased,  in  1772,  by 
Benjamin  Gallop,  grandson  of  the  Benjamin — sometimes  called 
Benadam — Gallop,  who,  in  1688,  as  second  officer  of  the  sloop 
"Mary,"  captured  the  notorious  pirate  Tom  Pound,  who  was  hung  in 
chains  at  Nix's  Mate  in  Boston  Harbor.  Benadam  was  the  grand- 
son of  Captain  John  Gallop,  the  noted  Boston  pilot,  who,  in  1636, 
after  a  desperate  encounter  off  Block  Island,  recovered  the  vessel 
which  had  been  taken  by  the  Narragansett  Indians  from  his  friend 
John  Oldham,  whom  they  had  murdered.  Of  this  plucky  pilot, 
Cooper  in  his  "Naval  History"  says,  that  he  fought  "the  first 
engagement  that  probably  ever  occurred  between  the  inhabitants 
of  the  American  colonies  and  enemies  afloat."  He  owned  Gallop's 
Island  as  well  as  Nix's  Mate,  which  at  that  time  contained  about 
twelve  acres  of  land,  though  now  it  has  wholly  disappeared. 

In  1775  this  house  was  occupied  by  British  troops,  the  Gallop 
family  retiring  to  Saugus.  During  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
General  Gage  made  this  his  staff  headquarters,  —  a  convenient 
place  for  the  purpose,  being  near  his  battery  yet  somewhat  under 
cover  of  the  hill.     Mr.  William   Parkman  remembers   hearing  his 


The  Galloupe  House.  181 

grandmother,  who  lived  near  by  at  the  time,  often  speak  of  this 
house  as  having  been  occupied,  on  that  eventful  day,  by  "old 
Gage,"  as  she  called  him.  Several  other  persons  have  confirmed 
the  tradition. 

Benjamin  Gallop  died  the  next  year,  shortly  after  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  leaving  two  sons,  Benjamin  and  Richard,  in 
whose  time  the  name  was  changed  to  Galloupe.  Richard  bought 
his  brother's  interest  in  the  homestead,  and  lived  here  many  years. 
His  eldest  daughter  Mary  married  John  Weiss,  and  became  the 
mother  of  the  Rev."  John  Weiss,  of  Watertovvn.  Another  daughter 
married  William  Marble,  the  well-known  decorator,  who  purchased 
the  estate  and  lived  here  from  1844  to  1877.  Isaac  Harris  was 
a  tenant  for  a  short  time  after  his  marriage  in   1802. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  in  the  area  once  known  as 
Jonathan  Merry's  pasture,  and  now  annexed  to  the  old  Burial- 
ground,  formerly  stood  the  gun-house  of  the  Columbian  Artillery 
Company,  which  was  removed  to  this  lot  in  18 10  from  its  earlier 
site  farther  up  the  hill  beyond  the  cemetery.  Hull  Street  is  now 
so  little  used  by  vehicles  that  the  grass  is  growing  on  the  pave- 
ment, reminding  one  of  what  Byron  says  of  Ferrara's 

"  grass-grown  streets 
Whose  symmetry  was  not  for  solitude." 

And  yet  this  solitude  seems  in  keeping  with  the  repose  which 
belongs  to  this  outlying  city  of  the  dead.  It  would  be  well  if  it 
might  always  remain,  hallowed  by  the  memories  of  the  past,  and 
uninvaded  by  the  rude  bustle  of  workshop  and  factory. 

Among  the  interesting  stones  in  Copp's  Hill  Burying-ground 
is  the  one  which  marks  the  grave  of  Daniel  Malcom,  a  prominent 


182 


The  Galloupe  House. 


merchant  of  Fleet  Street,  and  a  warden  of  Christ  Church.  He 
was  pronounced  in  his  opposition  to  the  Revenue  Acts,  and  pre- 
sided at  a  meeting  of  business  men  in  February,  1768,  at  which 
it  was  resolved  not  to  import  ordinary  English  goods  for  a  year 
and  a  half.  A  few  months  later  he,  with  John  Matchet  and 
Captain  Hopkins,  led  the  mob  which  resisted  the  seizure  of 
Hancock's  sloop  by  the  boats  of  the  "  Romney."  Consequently 
Malcom  was  not  in  good  odor  with  the  government  officers ; 
and,  as  he  died  the  next  year,  his  gravestone,  with  its  patriotic 
epitaph,  was  too  good  a  target  for  the  British  soldiery  to  over- 
look when  they  had  possession  here.  The  marks  of  their  bullets 
can  be  distinctly  seen  in  the  old  slate  grave-stone. 


1 


THE    HARTT    HOUSE. 


ASSING  up  Hull  Street,  we  come  to  another  gambrel- 
roof  house  (Nos.  24,  26)  which  originally  resembled  the 
one  just  described,  and  was  probably  built  at  about 
the  same  time,  though  the  wing  on  the  right  was 
added  subsequently.  For  the  greater  part  of  this  century  it  has 
been  in  the  Hartt  family,  although  none  of  them  have  lived  here 
of  late  years. 

Boston  has  had  no  family  of  shipwrights  so  numerous  or  so 
widely  known  as  the  Hartts.  Zephaniah  and  Ralph  Hartt,  who 
lived  in  Charter  Street,  both  achieved  distinction  in  their  day. 
Captain  Edmund  built  at  his  own  yard  (the  Government  then  hav- 
ing no  navy  yards)  the  famous  frigates  "  Constitution  "  and  "  Bos- 
ton," the  brig  "  Argus,"  and  many  of  the  finest  ships  of  his  time. 
The  cost  of  the  construction  of  the  "  Boston  "  was  defrayed  by 
the  merchants  of  the  town,  who  subscribed  liberally;  and  who  were 
so  well  pleased  with  the  frigate  when  finished,  in  1799,  that  they 
gave  Captain  Hartt  an  elegant  silver  service,  inscribed  "  as  a  me- 
morial of  their  sense  of  his  ability,  zeal,  and  fidelity  in  the  com- 
pletion of  that  ornament  of  the  American  navy."  The  articles 
presented  were  a  teapot  and  stand,  a  sugar-bowl,  a  cream-pitcher, 
two  tankards,  and  a  variety  of  spoons. 


1 88  The  Hartt   House. 

Edmund,  son  of  Aaron  Hartt,  was  born  at  Lynn  in  1744.  He 
was  descended  from  Samuel,  who  came  from  England  in  1640  and 
settled  at  Saugus  River.  He  married  Mehitable  Lambert,  of 
Wiscasset,  and  lived  in  a  wooden  house  (now  removed)  on  the 
west  side  of  Ship  Street,  opposite  his  "  naval  yard,"  or  "  Hartt's 
ways,"  as  it  was  called,  the  space  being  now  included  in  Constitu- 
tion Wharf,  so  named  in  honor  of  the  frigate.  He  died  in  1824, 
and  was  buried  at  Copp's  Hill.  Of  his  eleven  children,  several 
were  associated  with  him  in  business  and  afterward  acquired  a 
reputation  of  their  own.  At  one  time  there  were  no  less  than 
seven  members  of  the  Hartt  family  who  were  naval  constructors 
at  different  yards  throughout  the  country. 

Edward,  the  oldest  son,  bought  this  house  on  Hull  Street  in 
1803  of  the  heirs  of  Alexander  Baker,  calker.  He  married,  on 
Christmas  day,  1796,  Sally,  daughter  of  Samuel  Webb,  book- 
binder. They  both  belonged  to  the  Second  Baptist  Church. 
Much  of  his  time  was  spent  at  the  West  in  the  construction  of 
large  river  boats,  and  he  died  in  Kentucky,  in  1823,  leaving  two 
sons,  Edward  and    William. 

His  widow  continued  to  live  in  this  house  during  the  rest  of  her 
life,  having  for  a  companion  her  sister,  Mary  Webb  (born  1779, 
died  1 861),  a  woman  of  rare  character  and  great  practical  benevo- 
lence, although  of  humble  means  and  a  helpless  cripple.  She  was 
an  active  member  of  Dr.  Baldwin's  church  ;  and  by  the  energy  of 
her  will  and  the  promptings  of  her  heart,  she  was  able  to  do  a 
charitable  work  among  the  poor  which  is  deserving  of  high  praise. 
Before  the  development  of  our  city  missionary  societies,  our 
Sunday-schools,  and  the  organized  charities  of  the  present  day, 
Mary  Webb  was  a  society  in  herself,  devising  plans  and  executing 


The   Hartt   House.  189 

them  with  surprising  facility.  Many  of  the  former  generation  can 
remember  her  little  hand-carriage,  covered  with  green  baize,  in 
which  she  had  herself  wheeled  about  town  on  her  errands  of  kind- 
ness to  the  needy  and  the  suffering.  Such  an  example  could  not 
fail  to  inspire  others  with  her  spirit  of  devotion ;  and  the  enter- 
prises which  she  began  in  feebleness  grew  to  large  proportions  by 
the  generous  support  of  the  Christian  public.  The  case  is  some- 
what like  that  of  Anna  Gurney,  of  Northrepps  Cottage,  on  the  east 
coast  of  Norfolkshire  in  England,  near  the  home,  of  her  relative, 
Sir  Thomas  Powell  Buxton.  Miss  Gurney,  too,  was  a  cripple,  and 
went  about  in  a  perambulator;  yet  she  overcame  her  natural  dis- 
ability so  far  as  to  render  the  most  efficient  personal  aid  to  the 
seamen  of  her  neighborhood,  looking  after  their  families  in  their 
absence,  providing  for  them  in  case  of  shipwreck,  going,  even  at 
midnight  in  winter,  down  to  the  strand  in  her  little  carnage,  with 
a  company  of  strong  men,  to  carry  food  or  restoratives  for  the 
perishing.  Indeed,  she  inaugurated  by  her  own  exertions  an 
elaborate  system  of  life-boat  service  on  that  stormy  coast,  which 
has  since  been  incorporated  in  the  work  of  the  Royal  Humane 
Society. 

The  life  of  neither  Mary  Webb  nor  Anna  Gurney  has  ever  been 
written,  and  the  two  probably  never  heard  of  each  other;  but 
their  trials  and  their  triumphs  were  singularly  alike,  and  their 
record  is  on  high. 

A  large  portion  of  Hull  Street  was  formerly  given  up  to  gar- 
dens, which  have  now  almost  wholly  disappeared.  Near  the  Hartt 
house  lived  Michael  Dalton,  Rev.  Edward  Beecher,  Edward  B. 
Walker,  Capt.  William  F.  Clark,  Charles  H.  Porter,  John  Goddard, 
and  Henry  Robinson;  and,  in  the  earlier  times,  Henry  Swift,  John 


190  Copfi  s   Hill. 

Robinson,  Daniel  Ballard,  and  others,  chiefly  of  the  guild  of  ship- 
wrights, and  mast  and  spar  makers,  —  a  sturdy  race  of  men,  who 
by  their  enterprise  and  thrift  generally  owned  the  houses  they 
lived  in,  and  became  influential  citizens  of  the  town. 

On  the  eastern  corner  of  Hull  and  Snowhill  Streets,  over- 
looking the  grounds  of  the  Eustis  estate,  was  the  monitorial 
school  kept  by  Mr.  Fowle.  Directly  opposite,  on  the  western 
corner,  lived  Rev.  Sebastian  Streeter.  Below  him,  on  Snow- 
hill  Street,  came  William  S.  Bridge,  Rev.  Asa  Eaton,  Henry  D. 
Gray,  Capt.  Erasmus  Thompson,  Rev.  John  Woart,  Caleb  Eddy, 
and  Ninian  C.  Betton,  whose  houses  were  considered  among  the 
best  in  Boston  for  their  situation,  commanding  as  they  did  an 
unbroken  view  over  Charles  River  and  the  Mill  Pond.  Every- 
thing on  that  side  has  now  been  swept  away  by  the  levelling  of 
the  hill. 

The  Hartt  estate  is  defined  in  an  old  deed  as  "  situate  in  Hull 
Street  near  Corpse  Hill,"  —  a  grim  way  of  spelling  the  familiar 
name,  and  apparently  not  uncommon  even  among  those  who 
might  have  known  better.  Doubtless,  in  the  imagination  of  some 
who  live  in  the  neighborhood  to-day,  there  is  no  other  way  of 
spelling  it. 

This  was  the  lowest  of  the  three  hills  of  Boston,  and  was  origi- 
nally called  Windmill  Hill,  or  Mill  Field,  the  first  windmill  in  the 
town  having  been  placed  here.  Afterward  for  a  time  it  was  called 
Snow  Hill,  and  then  it  took  the  name  of  Copp's  Hill,  which  has 
since  clung  to  it,  probably  after  William  Copp,  the  industrious 
cordwainer,  whose  homestead  was  a  half-acre  lot  on  the  extreme 
north-western  end  of  the  hill,  now  dug  away. 


Copfs  HilL  191 

In  1775  tne  British  threw  up  a  redoubt  on  this  hill,  and  planted 
a  battery  of  heavy  guns  here,  which  they  handled  effectively  in 
the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The  remains  of  these  works  afforded 
a  good  play-ground  for  boys  until  about  fifty  years  ago,  when 
the  whole  western  slope  beyond  Snowhill  Street  was  removed. 
During  the  mayoralty  of  Dr.  Green,  bronze  tablets  were  placed 
at  the  entrance  of  the  older  burial-grounds  of  Boston,  Roxbury, 
and  Dorchester,  giving  their  names,  the  dates  of  their  establish- 
ment, and  the  names  of  prominent  persons  buried  in  them.  The 
tablet  on  the  Hull  Street  gate  is  as  follows:  — 

COPP'S    HILL   BURIAL  GROUND 
1659 


HERE     WERE    BURIED 

JHtntaters 

Increase  Mather  1723,  Cotton  Mather  1728, 

Samuel  Mather  1785,  Andrew  Eliot  1778; 

and 

Thomas  Lake,  David  Copp,  Nicholas  Upshall, 

John  Phillips,  Anthony  Haywood,  John  Clarke, 

and  others  of  the  early  inhabitants 

of  Boston. 


On  this  ground  were  planted 

the  British  Batteries 

which  destroyed  the  Village  of  Charlestown 

during  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 

June  17,  1775. 


192  Copp's  HilL 

Although  only  about  fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  the  sea,  Copp's 
Hill  was  a  conspicuous  elevation,  rising  abruptly  on  the  northern 
side,  like  some  of  the  island  bluffs  in  the  harbor,  and  sloping 
gently  in  other  directions.  The  summit  was  a  convenient  plateau 
for  burial;  and  a  part  of  it  was  taken  for  this  purpose  as  early 
as  1659,  being  the  second  place  of  burial  in  Boston.  Additions 
were  made  by  purchase  at  different  times.  For  about  a  century 
its  usual  designation  was  the  North  Burying-ground.  Here,  it 
is  estimated,  nearly  half  the  population  of  the  town  was  buried 
during  that  long  period.  There  is  hardly  a  name  among  the  old 
North-End  families  that  is  not  represented  here.  The  study  of 
these  epitaphs,  meagre  as  many  of  them  are,  will  furnish  valuable 
missing  links  in  the  history  of  families  and  of  the  town.  The  rich 
and  the  poor,  the  merchant  and  the  artisan,  the  minister  and  the 
flock,  lie  near  together.  Of  the  greater  number  not  even  a  stone 
now  remains  to  reveal  the  name.  And  yet  the  ground  is  covered 
with  stones,  many  of  them  bearing  quaint  inscriptions  and  some 
of  them  heraldic  devices.  The  tomb  most  frequently  visited  is 
that  of  the  three  Mathers.  The  coats-of-arms  which  are  found  in 
the  yard  belonged  to  the  Goodrich,  Clark,  Watts,  Gee,  Hutchin- 
son, Mountfort,  Martyn,  and  Greenwood  families,  though  some  of 
them  have  been  appropriated  by  others.  The  oldest  stone  yet 
discovered  is  that  erected  by  Elder  David  Copp,  son  of  William, 
to  his  two  young  children.  This  Elder  Copp,  whose  wife  was 
Obedience  Topliff,  became  a  noted  man  in  his  day ;  and  at  his 
funeral,  in  171 3,  a  distinguished  company  assembled  to  pay  their 
respects  to  his  memory.  Judge  Sewall,  who  was  present,  says  in 
his  Diary  that  there  were  "  a  pretty  many  Men,  but  few  Women," 
there. 


Copp's   Hill. 


*93 


Copp's  Hill  has  long  been  a  favorite  promenade  for  the  people 
of  the  neighborhood,  owing  to  its  fine  view,  its  sea-breezes,  its  well- 
kept  walks,  and  its  refreshing  shade.  The  gates  are  open,  free  to 
the  public  every  day,  and  the  obliging  superintendent  is  often  on 
hand  to  give  information  to  strangers,  and  to  carry  out  the  wise 
design  of  the  city  government  to  make  this  ancient  ground  sacred 
to  the  memory  of  the  fathers,  and  useful  to  the  generations  that 
come  after. 


DAVIDSON  TODAVf  THOMAS  SON  TO 
\  C0PP.60BED1ENCL     DAVID  COPP  & 


HISWIFEAGE.D2 
WEEKS    DYED 
DEC  22 


^661 


OBEDIENCE  MS 

WIFL  AGED  2^s 

yr:ARS&3QUARi: 


Near  this  group  of  houses  on  Salem  Street  lived  Captain  Robert 
Gray,  the  first  merchant  captain  who  carried  the  United  States  flag 
around  the  world.  On  his  return  in  1790,  with  the  Crown  Prince 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands  on  board  as  a  guest,  he  was  received  with 
distinguished  honors  by  General  Lincoln,  Collector  of  the  port, 
and  by  Governor  Hancock  at  his  residence. 

Two  years  later  Captain  Gray  discovered  the  Columbia  River, 
and  named  it  for  his  ship.  Gray  s  Bay,  in  lat.  460  58',  perpetuates 
his  exploit.  By  this  discovery  Oregon  was  finally  secured  to  the 
United  States.  The  "  Columbia  "  was  a  ship  of  two  hundred  tons ; 
she  was  navigated  by  a  crew  of  thirty  men,  and  mounted  ten  car- 
riage guns.  She  was  built  in  Scituate,  by  James  Briggs,  in  1773. 
There  are  extant  several  interesting  drawings  of  the  ship,  and  of 
an  attack  made  upon  her  by  the  natives. 

Captain  Gray  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Silas  Atkins,  of 
Prince  Street,  and  has  left  many  descendants. 


NORTH  BENNET  STREET. 


HIS  unpretending  little  street,  not  much  longer  than  an 
ocean  steamer,  and  not  so  long  as  some  of  our  great 
railway  stations,  has  made  for  itself  a  name  hardly 
second  to  that  of  any  street  at  the  North  End.  Here 
were  three  churches,  a  noted  school,  and  an  engine-house,  — 
enough  to  give  a  local  character  to  any  street,  —  besides  the 
dwellings  of  some  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  town. 

The  name  comes  naturally  from  the  early  owners,  Richard  and 
Peter  Bennet,  the  former  being  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Posses- 
sions. Some  of  the  houses  now  standing  can  be  traced  back  to 
the  first  quarter  of  the  last  century.  Among  them  is  the  large 
brick  mansion,  seen  on  the  left  in  the  accompanying  picture,  taken 
before  the  recent  changes  were  made  converting  the  old  homestead 
into  cheap  tenements  and  drinking-shops.  The  line  of  the  origi- 
nal gambrel  roof  can  be  discerned  in  the  drawing.  It  was  probably 
built  by  Thomas  Lee,  who  bought  the  land  of  Jonas  Clark  in  1715, 
and  afterward  sold  it,  with  the  house  upon  it,  to  his  father,  Thomas 
Lee,  Sr.,  who  in  1734  sold  it  to  John  Steele,  merchant  and  sub- 
sequently for  many  years  one  of  the  selectmen.  Justice  Steele 
used  to  hold  his  court  in  the  front  east  room.  In  1791  it  became 
the  home  of  Colonel  Edward  Proctor,  whose  heirs  sold  it,  in  1815, 


200  North  Bennet  Street. 

fc>r  $5,500  to  Isaac  Harris,  who  lived  here  until  his  death,  in  1869, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety. 

No  man  in  this  century  has  been  identified  with  the  North  End 
by  residence  and  occupation  for  a  longer  period  or  with  a  more 
honorable  record  than  Isaac  Harris.  He  was  born  in  1779,  one  of 
ten  children  of  Samuel  Harris,  mast-maker,  who  had  served  an 
apprenticeship  with  an  uncle,  Nathaniel  Greenwood,  and  who 
afterward  formed  a  partnership  with  Jonathan  Gary.  At  the 
reception  of  President  Washington,  in  1789,  Samuel  Harris  was 
chosen  to  carry  the  mast-makers'  flag,  which  is  still  preserved  in 
the  family.  On  the  same  occasion  the  young  Isaac  participated 
with  the  boys  of  the  public  schools  in  doing  honor  to  the  distin- 
guished visitor.  They  were  ranged  in  two  lines  on  the  mall  through 
which  Washington  passed  on  horseback.  Each  boy  held  a  quill 
pen  in  his  left  hand,  and  was  to  take  off  his  cap  with  the  other 
when  the  President  approached.  Harris  agreed  with  the  boy  next 
him  that,  as  soon  as  they  had  made  their  bow,  they  would  stroke 
their  pens  across  the  President's  boot.  They  did  it  successfully, 
and  kept  the  pens  as  mementos  of  a  famous  event. 

In  1792  Harris  was  one  of  the  six  boys  of  the  North  Grammar 
School  who  received  the  first  Franklin  medals.  After  the  expira- 
tion of  sixty  years,  these  original  medal  scholars  were  all  living, 
and  all  in  Boston  ;  and  they  were  entertained  at  a  dinner  given  by 
Mr.  Harris  at  his  house,  nearly  opposite  the  old  school.  It  was  a 
memorable  occasion,  and  created  much  interest  at  the  time.  Their 
names  were  Isaac  Harris,  Robert  Lash,  John  Snelling,  Isaac  Par- 
ker, William  Savage,  and  John  Lewis.  Another  old  school-mate, 
Samuel  F.  McCleary,  was  with  them,  and  also  their  venerable  usher, 
Nathan  Webb.     Such  a  group  is  not  likely  to  be  gathered  again ; 


North  Bennet  Street.  201 

although  it  is  an  interesting  fact  that  all  the  graduates  of  1836  at 
the  Boston  Latin  School,  eight  or  nine  in  number,  of  which  class 
the  present  Samuel  F.  McCleary  is  one,  are  still  living  to  celebrate 
their  fiftieth  anniversary.  Our  Boston  schools,  in  these  instances 
at  least,  seem  to  have  taught  their  pupils  how  to  live ;  and  our 
Boston  climate,  abused  as  it  is  by  many,  is  proved  to  be  not 
unfavorable  to  longevity. 

Mr.  Harris  was  a  public-spirited  man,  and  not  only  wise  in 
counsel,  but  energetic  in  action.  He  served  many  years  as  one  of 
the  fire  wards  of  the  town.  In  18 10  the  roof  of  the  Old  South 
Meeting-house  took  fire  from  a  burning  stable  near  by.  Such  was 
the  progress  of  the  flames  that  it  was  feared  the  ancient  edifice 
would  have  to  be  sacrificed.  Mr.  Harris,  however,  appeared  upon 
the  scene,  and  with  characteristic  energy  mounted  a  ladder,  and  by 
the  skilful  use  of  the  axe  and  buckets  managed  to  save  the  build- 
ing. For  this  brave  act  a  silver  pitcher  was  soon  after  presented 
to  him,  with  a  view  of  the  fire  engraved  on  one  side,  and  on  the 
other  the  following  inscription :  "  To  Mr.  Isaac  Harris.  For  his 
intrepid  and  successful  exertions  on  the  roof  of  the  Old  South 
Church  when  on  fire,  December  29th,  1810,  the  Society  present 
this  token  of  their  gratitude.  Boston,  January  29th,  181 1."  Many 
persons  can  remember  the  buckets  and  fire-bags  which  used  to  hang 
in  the  entries  of  our  houses,  ready  for  instant  use.  The  steam  fire- 
engines  and  the  admirably  equipped  force  to  man  them,  with  which 
the  Boston  of  to-day  is  familiar,  have  long  since  displaced  the 
primitive  and  inadequate  method  of  passing  buckets  from  hand  to 
hand;  but  the  fathers  managed  to  put  out  fires  even  with  such 
limited  appliances. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Harris  was  a  member  of  the  city  govern- 


202  North  Bennet  Street, 

ment,  and  he  also  served  as  a  representative  in  the  Legislature. 
He  was  one  of  the  guests  of  the  city  at  the  inauguration  of  the 
Franklin  statue,  in  1856.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he 
was  devoted  to  his  business  as  a  mast  and  spar  maker,  at  his  well- 
known  yard  next  to  the  Winnisimmet  Ferry.  He  was  a  man  of  the 
old  school  of  manners,  dignified,  courteous,  and  hospitable.  His 
garden  was  one  of  the  best  at  the  North  End,  producing  an  abun- 
dance of  flowers,  plums,  apricots,  rare-ripe  peaches,  and  sweet- 
water  grapes,  besides  currants,  gooseberries,  pepper-grass,  and 
parsley.  These  valued  luxuries  were  generously  shared  with  the 
sick  and  poor  of  the  neighborhood. 

In  his  early  life  Mr.  Harris  was  connected  with  the  Sandemanian 
Church,  of  which  his  father  was  an  active  member ;  but  on  the 
dissolution  of  that  body,  he  became  an  adherent  of  the  New  Brick, 
or  Second,  Church,  on  Hanover  Street.  He  was  one  of  the  leading 
promoters  of  the  plan  for  the  new  brown-stone  building  erected  by 
that  Society  in  1845  and  afterward  sold  to  the  Methodists. 

The  house  next  to  Mr.  Harris's,  on  the  west  side  (unshaded  in 
the  picture),  once  belonged  to  Captain  John  Charnock,  and  was  sold 
by  his  grandchildren,  in  1759,  to  John  Leach,  an  eminent  teacher 
of  mathematics,  who  occupied  it  until  his  death,  in  1799.  Although 
the  name  of  Leach  has  not  been  known  on  Bennet  Street  for  three 
generations,  the  fact  that  a  man  of  distinction,  bearing  the  name,  in 
the  last  century  lived  here  forty  years  with  a  large  family  would 
lead  us  to  inquire  still  further  about  him. 

John  Leach  was  born  in  London,  opposite  the  Tower,  in  1724. 
He  sailed  around  the  world  three  times  before  coming  to  Boston 
in  1748.  Here  he  won  the  affections  of  Sarah  Coffin,  a  relative 
of  Admiral  Sir  Isaac  Coffin,  and  a  sister  of  Lydia  Coffin,  who 


North  Bennet  Street. 


203 


afterward  married  Master  Tileston.  Her  father  refused  to  give 
his  consent  to  their  marriage  until  Mr.  Leach  should  furnish  satis- 
factory credentials  of  his  character  and  family  connections.  The 
young  man,  not  to  be  daunted,  hastened  back  to  England,  and  soon 
after  returned  to  Boston  with  the  necessary  letters,  and  secured  his 
bride.  They  were  married  by  Andrew  Eliot,  and  became  members 
of  the  New  North  Church,  where  all  their  children,  seventeen  in 
number,  were  baptized.  The  little  lace  christening  cap,  which 
is  said  to  have  served  each  one  in  turn,  as  well  as  portraits  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leach,  are  in  possession  of  their  descendant,  Mr. 
Henry  Herbert  Edes.  Mr.  Leach  opened  a  private  school  on  Fore 
Street,  opposite  French  &  Farrar's  wood-wharf,  where  he  taught 
navigation  and  civil  engineering.  The  story  is  told  of  him  that 
being  addicted,  in  his  later  years,  to  wearing  an  indifferent  kind  of 
hat,  his  pupils  noted  his  appearance  one  day  in  a  new  one,  and 
signalized  the  event  by  writing  with  chalk  on  the  fence  near  by, 
"  Master  Leach  has  got  a  new  hat."  Seeing  it  as  he  passed  soon 
after,  the  good-natured  master  wrote  under  it,  "  And  it  is  paid  for." 
Mr.  Leach  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  espouse  the  patriot  cause  ; 
and  as  it  was  known  that  he  corresponded  with  the  friends  of  John 
Wilkes,  he  naturally  fell  under  suspicion  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
war.*    On  the  29th  of  June,  1775,  he  was  arrested  a  few  steps  from 

*  The  following  letter,  written  to  Mr.  Leach  by  his  cousin  in  London,  sheds  some  light  upon 
the  political  situation  there  at  the  time  :  — 

D*  Cozn, —  I  had  the  Pleasure  of  receiving  your  political  Creed  accompanied  with  the  Presents,  the  One 
agreeable  to  my  Sentiments,  the  Other  to  my  Fancy.  Your  Letter  I  presented  to  Mr.  Wilkes,  who  read  it  with 
much  Satisfaction  ;  desired  me  to  leave  it  with  him  &  begg'd  I  would  present  his  best  Respects  to  you  unknown 
&  hoped  there  were  many  of  the  same  Opinion  as  yourself;  it  was  shown  to  Mr.  Serjt  Glynn,  the  only  worthy 
Member  for  the  County  of  Middlesex,  who  thought  it  rather  too  dangerous  for  the  Press  except  the  Inflamatory 
Paper  I  now  publish  entitled  the  N{1  Briton,  the  Government  having  after  a  serious  of  Insults  upon  the  People 
deprived  me  of  printing  The  London  Evening  Post,  &  that  Paper  is  now  become  the  tame  Vehicle  for  Ministers 
and  their  Ductiles.     The  Duke  of  Grafton  promised  me  in  private  that  nothing  should  be  done  prejudicial  to 


204  North  Bonnet  Street. 

his  door,  and  obliged  to  go  to  his  house  and  surrender  his  keys, 
and  have  his  desks  and  papers  searched.  Major  Cane  of  the  Regu- 
lars told  him  he  had  a  great  deal  to  answer  for.  He  replied  that 
he  was  ready  to  meet  any  accusation.  He  was  then  conducted  to 
the  stone  jail,  and  his  drawings  were  taken  to  General  Gage.  He 
remained  in  jail  ninety-seven  days,  during  most  of  which  time  he 
was  allowed  only  bread  and  water.  Among  his  fellow-prisoners 
were  Master  James  Lovell,  Peter  Edes,  John  Hunt,  and  William 
Starr.  Leach  and  Edes  kept  journals  during  their  confinement, 
showing  the  rough  treatment  which  they  had  to  endure.  After 
their  release  an  attempt  was  made  by  a  party  of  Dragoons  in  mid- 
winter to  demolish  Leach's  wharf  and  school-house  for  fuel.  They 
pulled  down  his  chimney,  and  carried  off  the  bricks  in  transports 
for  ballast.  They  stole  his  valuable  books,  instruments,  and  plans; 
and  what  remained  of  his  property  was  spared  only  through  his 
personal  intercession  with  General  Howe.  In  closing  his  journal, 
the  struggling  patriot  says*  "  These  and  many  other  personal 
abuses  I  have  received.  I  suppose  I  must  sit  down  by  the  loss 
with  this  consolation,  that  it  was  done  by  the  ministerial  army  and 
their  associates,  under  the  auspicious  reign  of  His  Most  Sacred 
Majesty,  King  George  the  3d,  of  blessed  memory.  My  dear  sons 
of  America!    Put  not  your  trust  in  Princes." 

me  or  my  Interest,  but  are  Jockeys  Words  to  be  taken  ?  but  alas  !  our  Ministry  consist  of  few  others  than  that 
class  —  but  to  return.  Mr.  Wilkes  has  been  three  Times  elected  Member  for  the  County  of  Middlesex  &  was 
refused  his  seat  in  any  House  (except  the  King's  Bench).  He  was  chosen  by  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Ward, 
Alderman  for  Farringdon  Without  (the  largest  in  the  City),  in  which  I  reside;  the  Court  of  Aldermen  would 
not  swear  him  in  ;  the  Inhabitants  rechose  him,  Ditto,  so  that  the  Ward  being  without  an  Alderman,  the 
Inhabitants  will  not  pay  the  Taxes,  not  being  properly  represented  &  the  Ward  Books  not  signed  by  Mr. 
Alderman  Wilkes. 

I  could  add  much  more  of  the  above  Gentle":  sufferings,  but  cannot  write  with  propriety  being  much  afflicted 
with  the  Gout.  ...  I  remain,  your  L         CozI1, 

J.  MERES. 

Old  Baily,  May  21,  1769. 


North  Bennet  Street. 


205 


In  1780  Mr.  Leach  drew  an  important  plan  of  the  new  streets 
in  Charlestown,  including  the  changes  around  the  Square,  author- 
ized by  the  General  Court.  This  plan  is  valuable,  as  it  gives  the 
names  of  all  abutters,  and  accurate  measurements  of  each  lot. 

Beyond  the  Leach  house  is  a  higher  one,  built  by  the  late  Noah 
Lincoln  for  some  of  his  family,  his  own  residence  being  the  next 
one,  on  the  corner,  an  account  of  which  is  given  elsewhere.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  Salem  Street,  the  Newman  house,  already 
described,  is  seen  facing  Bennet  Street.  On  the  right  hand  of  the 
picture,  at  the  corner  of  Short,  now  Wiggin,  Street,  is  a  brick 
block  erected  by  Job  Turner  on  the  site  of  the  old  home  of  the 
Pitman  family.  In  one  of  these  houses  lived  Abel  B.  Munroe, 
a  wealthy  citizen,  who  held  many  public   offices. 

Bennet  Street  has  acquired  its  greatest  distinction  from  the 
school  which  was  established  here  in  171 3,  and  which,  under 
various  names,  has  continued  to  the  present  day.  The  original 
building  wTas  the  gift  of  Thomas  Hutchinson,  and  bore  his  coat-of- 
arms  on  the  front.  He  was  one  of  Boston's  greatest  benefactors ; 
and  his  name  would  probably  have  been  given  to  the  school  in 
1790,  at  the  time  of  the  reorganization,  had  not  his  son,  the  Tory 
governor,  incurred  the  popular  displeasure.  At  that  time  no  name 
was  more  in  favor  at  the  North  End  than  that  of  the  pastor  of 
the  New  North  Church,  John  Eliot,  whose  father  had  adorned  the 
same  position  before  him ;  so  that  the  Eliot  School  came  natu- 
rally by  its  name,  although  historic  justice  and  municipal  gratitude 
would  have  preferred  that  of  the  founder. 

The  long  list  of  teachers,  beginning  with  Recompense  Wads- 
worth,  down  to  our  own  time  includes  many  names  of  note ;  and 
the  list  of  scholars  would  reach  tens  of  thousands. 


206 


North  Bennet  Street. 


Adjoining  the  old  garden  lot  of  Isaac  Harris  stands  a  large 
wooden  house  endwise  on  the  street,  formerly  numbered  7,  but  now 
32.  This  house  was  built  about  1796  by  Simeon  Skilling,  the 
ablest  wood-carver  of  his  time.  The  classic  cornice  over  his  front 
door,  sketched  in  the  above  cut,  is  a  good  specimen  of  his  work, 
and  has  been  much  admired  and  widely  copied.  It  may  be  con- 
sidered the  archetype  of  that  style  of  ornamentation  which  after- 
wards became  quite  common  in  the  larger  towns  of  New  England. 
The  interior  decorations  of  the  house  have  suffered  from  the  rough 
usage  it  has  received  in  recent  years,  but  there  are  still  traces  of 
elegant  workmanship  to  be  seen  in  the  front  parlor  and  chamber. 
Most  of  the  figure-heads  that  issued  from  the  port  of  Boston  for 
many  years  were  made  by  Mr.  Skilling.  Such  was  his  genius  that 
he  might  be  called  an  artist  rather  than  an  artisan.  Innumerable 
chairs,  sideboards,  and  desks,  adorned  with  the  favorite  claw  feet 
and  other  tasteful  ornaments,  were  the  product  of  his  chisel.  Many 
churches  contain  examples  of  his  work,  among  which  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Corinthian  capitals  of  the  New  North,  made  in  1804. 


North  Bennet  Street.  207 

Mr.  Skilling  died  in  middle  life,  leaving  no  children.  His  widow 
married  Captain  Nathaniel  Goodwin,  and  during  his  life  lived  at  the 
comer  of  Portland  and  Hanover  Streets ;  but  after  his  death  she 
returned  to  the  Bennet-Street  house,  which  meanwhile  had  been 
occupied  by  William  Palfrey,  Deputy  Naval  Officer  in  the  Custom 
House,  father  of  the  Rev.  Cazneau  Palfrey,  and  son  of  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Palfrey,  who  was  at  one  time  an  aide  to  General  Washington, 
and  subsequently  paymaster  of  the  army.  He  was  appointed  Consul- 
General  to  France,  and  was  lost  at  sea  while  on  his  voyage  thither. 

Just  beyond  this  estate  are  two  old  wooden  houses,  not  by  any 
means  as  interesting  as  they  once  were.  In  the  first  lived  Benja- 
min Luckis,  a  coppersmith ;  and  in  the  next,  directly  opposite  the 
old  Eliot  School,  the  well-known  cooper,  Alexander  Vannevar, 
father-in-law  of  the  late  Charles  W.  Slack.  These  homes,  like  the 
others  on  Bennet  Street,  were  very  attractive  fifty  years  ago.  They 
all  had  large  fireplaces,  brass  andirons,  and  fenders.  On  Sundays 
and  Thanksgiving  Days  especially  there  were  bright  wood-fires 
within ;  and,  as  the  windows  were  low,  passers-by  could  look  in 
upon  very  cheerful  scenes.  It  was  not  considered  necessary  to 
draw  the  curtains  then  as  soon  as  the  lamps  were  lighted. 

At  No.  20  stands  one  of  the  older  class  of  brick  houses,  belted 
like  many  others  of  its  age,  and  fairly  well  preserved.  The  narrow 
window  in  each  story  over  the  front  door  and  the  water-table  are 
noticeable  features.  The  interior  finish  is  exceptionally  good.  This 
house  was  long  owned  by  Captain  John  Howe,  who  commanded 
some  of  the  best  ships  out  of  Boston.  Like  many  sea-captains,  he 
had  a  powerful  voice,  said  to  resemble  thunder  in  its  tones.  Re- 
turning on  one  occasion  from  a  voyage  to  the  Baltic,  he  brought 
his  vessel  up  to  Hancock's  Wharf,  where  he  was  greeted  by  a  num- 


208  North   Bcnnet  Street. 

ber  of  friends,  one  of  whom  intimated  that  they  had  been  previously 
informed  of  his  approach.  "  How  did  you  know  I  was  coming  ?  " 
shouted  the  captain  in  his  usual  stentorian  voice.  "  Oh,"  said  his 
friend,  "  we  only  heard  you  whisper  outside  the  Light." 

The  next  house  to  Captain  Howe's  was  Captain  Ezra  Eaton's. 
The  side  entrance  then  faced  a  fine  garden,  now  built  over.  This 
was  the  home  of  Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  the  beloved  pastor  of  the  Sec- 
ond Church,  shortly  after  his  marriage.  He  afterward  lived  nearly 
opposite  his  church,  in  Cotton  Mather's  old  house  on  Hanover 
Street.  Between  Captain  Eaton's  and  the  church  on  the  corner 
was  the  estate  once  belonging  to  Thomas  Lee.  Here  the  late 
J.  M.  S.  Williams  spent  a  part  of  his  boyhood  in  the  family  of  his 
grandfather,  Deacon  Ephraim  Snow,  a  merchant  on  Long  Wharf. 

The  corner  property  was  originally  used  for  church  purposes  in 
1 74 1,  when  Samuel  Mather  colonized  with  a  portion  of  his  flock 
from  the  old  church  in  North  Square,  and  built  a  wooden  structure 
here,  with  a  plain  front  and  a  high,  open  steeple.  After  his  death, 
in  1785,  the  building  was  bought  by  Shippie  Townsend,  John 
Stoddard,  John  Page,  Josiah  Snelling,  and  others  in  the  interest  of 
the  First  Universalist  Church  of  Boston.  There  are  a  few  North- 
End  people  still  living  who  can  recall  John  Murray,  the  first  pastor 
of  this  church.  One  of  them  says  he  used  to  see  him,  when  en- 
feebled by  paralysis,  carried  by  his  father's  house  in  an  arm-chair, 
in  order  to  be  present  at  public  worship.  His  successors,  Paul 
Dean  and  Sebastian  Streeter,  are  remembered  by  many.  The 
original  building,  which  had  undergone  several  changes  at  different 
times,  including  the  loss  of  its  steeple,  was  taken  down  in  1838, 
when  the  present  brick  edifice  was  erected.  It  is  now  used  as  the 
Baptist  Bethel. 


North    Bennet  Street. 


209 


The  building  nearly  opposite  on  Bennet  Street,  now  used  by  the 
Portuguese  Church,  was  the  second  home  of  the  First  Methodist 
Church  of  Boston.  The  land  was  bought  of  Levi  Melcher  and 
Simon  Wilkinson.  At  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone,  April  30, 
1828,  while  the  preacher  was  giving  an  address  almost  prophetic  in 
its  allusion  to  the  time  when  the  walls  of  the  edifice  should  crum- 
ble into  dust,  suddenly  a  portion  of  the  flooring  gave  way,  precipi- 
tating about  two  hundred  people  into  the  cellar.  Many  were 
injured,  but  no  one  was  killed.  This  church  became  the  scene  of 
much  spiritual  power  and  growth  during  the  next  twenty  years, 
under  an  earnest  and  able  ministry.  Its  pulpit  is  now  in  possession 
of  the  Methodist  Historical  Society. 


THE  MATHER-ELIOT  HOUSE. 


Few  persons  in  Boston  are 
aware  of  the  great  interest  be- 
longing to  this  fragment  of 
an  ancient  wooden  dwelling, 
crowded  almost  out  of  sight 
by  the  larger  brick  buildings, 
at  the  north  corner  of  Hanover 
and  Bennet  Streets. 

This  was  the  house  built  by 
Increase  Mather  in  1677,  after 
he  was  driven  from  North 
Square  by  the  great  fire  which 
burnt  his  church  and  residence 
there.  Here  he  remained  until 
his  death,  in  1723.  His  son, 
Cotton  Mather,  spent  several 
years  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
here,  and  afterward  moved  into  a  large  brick  house  near  by  on 
Hanover  Street,  which  he  bought  in  1688,  and  which  was  not  taken 
down  till  four  years  ago,  although,  like  this  house  of  his  father,  it 
underwent  several  changes  in  our  time. 

It  would  be  fame  enough  for  any  house  to  have  been  the  home 
of  the  Mathers ;  but  it  was  reserved  for  this  one  to  be  the  abode, 
for  an  equally  long  time,  of  Andrew  and  John  Eliot,  father  and 
son,  ministers  in  succession  of  the  New  North  from  1742  till  181 3. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  house  in  Boston  has  sheltered 
for  so  long  a  time  four  such  distinguished  doctors  of  divinity. 


NOAH    LINCOLN'S   HOUSE 


lifl 

F  the  lives  of  private  citizens  who  have  given  char- 
acter to  Boston  by  their  personal  worth  and  honest 
toil  could  be  preserved  to  us,  even  in  outline,  we 
should  be  far  richer  in  our  inheritance  than  we  can 
ever  hope  to  be.  We  know  something  of  the  great  personages 
who  have  exercised  authority  in  political  or  military  life ;  but  how 
scanty  is  our  knowledge  of  the  much  larger  number  who,  in 
the  homes  and  workshops  of  the  town,  on  the  farms  in  the 
country,  or,  it  may  be,  on  our  ships  at  sea,  have  been  the  truest 
representatives  of  New  England  life  and  character! 

In  the  quaint  diaries  which  have  recently  been  printed  we 
get  so  many  delightful  glimpses  into  the  every-day  life  of  the 
people  that  we  could  wish  every  man  in  those  days  had  kept  a 
diary,  and  a  full  one  too.  But,  unfortunately  for  us,  they  did 
not;  neither  did  they  seem  to  think  that  we  should  ever  care  to 
have  such  mementos  as  drawings  of  their  houses  or  portraits 
of  themselves  and  their  children.  Perhaps,  in  most  cases,  the 
children  were  so  numerous,  and  the  artists  so  few,  and  the  money 
so  scarce,  that  all  such  luxuries  were  considered  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, if  indeed  they  were  ever  considered  at  all. 

But  our  real  demand  of  the  times  gone  by  is  not  alone  for  Smi- 
berts  and  Copleys,  nor  for  Sewalls  and  Belknaps,  but  for  any  detail 


216  Noah  Lincoln  s  House. 

of  common  life,  however  rudely  sketched  by  pen  or  pencil.  To 
meet,  in  some  partial  way,  this  historic  want,  and  to  save  from 
oblivion  the  memory  of  some  ancestral  homes,  yet  standing  among 
us,  has  been  the  purpose  of  the  present  work.  Houses  of  interest 
from  their  age  or  family  connection  have  been  sought  out,  even 
in  the  most  forbidding  parts  of  what  is  now  the  foreign  quarter  of 
the  city,  and  their  story  has  been  diligently  sought  for  like  hidden 
treasure,  though  often,  it  must  be  confessed,  without  a  ray  of  light. 
The  house  before  us,  however,  is  not  so  unintelligible,  since  its 
later  record  is  fresh  in  the  affectionate  remembrance  of  some 
among  the  living.  Yet  even  here,  where  so  much  is  supposed 
to  be  known,  no  one  has  traced  back  the  pedigree  of  so  ancient 
and  time-honored  a  house.  After  careful  searching,  we  find  that 
the  land  was  originally  a  part  of  "  the  close  or  pasture  ground  " 
of  Richard  Bennet,  for  whom  the  street  is  named;  then  of  Jonas 
Clark,  a  large  proprietor ;  and  then  of  Richard  Sherren,  a  butcher, 
who  sold  it  in  1715  to  Robert  Orange,  who  the  following  year 
petitioned  for  liberty  "  to  build  with  timber,"  but  was  "  disallowed 
by  the  selectmen,"  probably  on  account  of  the  objection  against 
wooden  buildings,  as  so  many  of  them  had  recently  been  swept 
away  by  fire,  including  the  town-house  and  the  First  Church. 
Orange  accordingly  built  his  house  of  brick,  and  was  licensed 
as  an  innholder.  His  widow  sold  it  in  1734  to  the  Rev.  Peter 
Thacher,  of  the  New  North  Church,  for  ,£1,450.  The  next 
owner  was  John  Proctor,  schoolmaster;  and  after  him  the  Avis 
family  for  the  long  period  of  seventy-eight  years,  until  1820, 
when  it  was  bought  by  Noah  Lincoln,  who  lived  here  till  his 
death,  in  1856.  With  him,  therefore,  our  interest  in  the  house 
is  chiefly  associated. 


Noah  Lincoln  s  House.  217 

Many  changes  have  come  over  the  place  since  it  passed  into 
other  hands,  and  the  corner-shop  is  an  uncongenial  intruder  where 
the  old  family  sitting-room  used  to  be ;  yet  it  is  the  same  house, 
with  its  ample  proportions,  its  original  walls,  and  panelled  chimneys, 
—  a  fair  representative  of  the  better  class  of  dwellings  known  in 
Boston  fifty  years  ago. 

Noah  Lincoln  was  born  in  Hingham  in  1772,  one  of  nine  chil- 
dren of  David  and  Elizabeth  Fearing  Lincoln,  and  a  descendant 
of  Stephen  Lincoln,  the  progenitor  of  various  branches  of  that 
distinguished  house.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  came  to  Boston, 
a  poor  boy,  and  apprenticed  himself  as  a  calker  and  graver  to 
Joshua  Pitman.  After  serving  his  time,  he  engaged  in  journey- 
work  four  years  ;  and  so  industrious  and  frugal  was  he  in  all  his 
habits  that,  by  the  time  he  was  twenty-five  years  old,  he  had  laid 
up  eighteen  hundred  dollars,  —  a  large  sum  for  those  days.  With 
this  he  bought  the  graving-ways  where  he  had  learned  his  trade, 
and  there  he  remained  throughout  his  long  career  as  ship  carpen- 
ter and  subsequently  as  dealer  in  wood  and  coal.  Lincoln's  Wharf 
takes  its  name  from  him,  and  is  a  monument  of  his  enterprise  and 
sagacity.  As  coal  did  not  come  into  use  in  Boston  until  after 
1820,  and  then  only  in  small  quantities,  all  the  dwellings  and 
shops  were  warmed  by  firewood.  Thrifty  citizens  would  lay  in 
their  winter's  supply  early  in  the  fall,  when  wood-sawyers  were 
seen  on  every  street  sawing  wood  in  front  of  a  house  and  then 
piling  it  up  in  perfect  order  in  the  yard,  wood-house,  or  cellar.  To 
supply  this  demand  the  wood-wharves  were  stocked  with  huge  piles 
of  firewood,  and  were  much  cleaner  and  more  attractive  than  their 
successors  the  coal-wharves  are  to-day.  When  Mr.  Lincoln  com- 
menced, all  the  property  along  the  shore  was  held  in  small  narrow 


218  Noah  Lincoln  s  House. 

strips.  The  first  important  change  was  made  by  the  Marine  Rail- 
way Company,  organized  for  hauling  vessels  up  for  repairs  and 
launching  them.  To  get  land  enough  for  this  purpose,  the  Com- 
pany had  to  buy  out  several  estates,  including  Truman's,  Isaac 
Ridley's,  and  one  half  of  Noah  Lincoln's.  It  became  a  prosperous 
business,  but  in  the  march  of  improvement  it  was  superseded  by 
the  dry-dock  system.  The  East  Boston  Ferry  Company  after- 
ward established  its  landing  here. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  married,  by  Dr.  Lathrop,  in  1802,  to  Sally, 
daughter  of  John  and  Susannah  Greaves  Howe.  After  living 
several  years  in  Unity  Street,  it  became  necessary,  with  the 
growth  of  his  family,  to  seek  larger  quarters  ;  and  he  purchased  this 
corner  house,  and  changed  the  old  gambrel  roof  by  carrying  up 
the  front  walls  and  making  a  third  story, — a  common  custom  of  the 
time.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  devoted  to  his  family  and  to  his  business. 
He  never  sought  public  office,  but  was  content  patiently  and 
systematically  to  perform  his  daily  round  of  duties,  with  a  scrupu- 
lous regard  to  those  principles  of  honor  and  integrity  which  had 
been  taught  him  in  his  childhood.  He  was  fond  of  music,  and 
was  often  heard  humming  the  old  psalm  tunes.  His  pleasant 
home  became  the  scene  of  many  reunions.  Twelve  children  and 
an  increasing  number  of  grandchildren  brought  constant  light 
and  cheer  to  the  house.  On  Thanksgiving  Day  and  New  Year's 
the  celebrations  were  genuine  and  hearty.  On  Independence  Day 
a  large  tent  was  usually  erected  in  the  back  yard  on  Salem  Street, 
gayly  decorated  with  flags  and  flowers  ;  and  there  this  patriarchal 
family,  to  the  number  of  fifty  and  more,  sat  down  to  dinner.  Each 
one  was  expected  to  make  a  speech,  sing  a  song,  or  offer  a  toast. 
This  practice  was  continued  for  twenty  years  with  a  single  excep- 


Noah  Lincoln  s  House.  219 

tion.  The  joy  of  the  house,  however,  was  not  without  its  counter- 
part of  sorrow.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  in  1832,  was  an  event 
the  gloom  of  which  did  not  soon  pass  away.  Mr.  Lincoln  lived  to 
be  one  of  the  oldest  men  at  the  North  End,  and  left  not  only  a 
large  property,  but  a  name  unsullied  and  a  work  well  done.  A 
sermon  commemorative  of  his  life  was  preached  by  Dr.  Robbins 
from  the  fitting  text:  "  That  we  may  lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable 
life  in  all  godliness  and  honesty." 

Mr.  Lincoln's  youngest  daughter  became  the  second  wife  of 
Frederic  W.  Lincoln,  grandson  of  Paul  Revere,  and  Mayor  of 
Boston  for  seven  years.  He  was  the  son  of  Louis  Lincoln,  — 
who  lived  on  Hanover  Street,  near  the  ferry,  —  and  the  grand- 
son of  Captain  Amos  Lincoln,  who  came  from  Hingham  to  Boston 
and  engaged  in  house-building,  being  subsequently  employed  as 
carpenter  for  the  new  State  House.  Amos  participated  in  the  tea 
party  of  Dec.  16,  1773,  obtaining  his  Mohawk  disguise  through 
the  assistance  of  his  master,  Crafts,  who,  it  is  said,  at  family  devo- 
tions prayed  "  for  the  young  man  out  on  a  perilous  errand  "  that 
night.  He  commanded  the  Company  at  Fort  Independence  which 
fired  the  salute  at  the  first  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  in 
Boston.  Amos  Lincoln  had  four  brothers,  one  of  whom,  Levi, 
moved  to  Worcester,  and  became  Jefferson's  Attorney  General. 

On  the  opposite  corner  of  Ben  net  Street,  where  the  Industrial 
Home  now  stands,  was  the  Salem  Church,  organized  in  1827. 
The  roll  of  its  ministry  contains  the  names  of  Justin  Edwards, 
George  W.  Blagden,  Joseph  H.  Towne,  Edward  Beecher,  and 
George  W.  Field.  This  church  took  an  advanced  position  in 
matters  of  reform,  and  was  always  active  in  benevolent  work  at  the 
North  End.     During  its  comparatively  short  life  it  was  an  efficient 


220 


Noah  Lincoln's  House. 


means  of  grace  to  many ;  and  it  is  remembered  with  sincere  affec- 
tion by  all  who  have  been  identified  with  it.  In  1871,  owing  to 
the  gradual  removal  of  most  of  its  members,  it  was  united  with 
the   Mariners'  Church  for  a  time,  and  then  disbanded. 

On  the  same  spot  once  stood  a  large  rough-cast  house  with  a 
generous  porch  and  ample  grounds  embowered  in  foliage.  This 
was  the  residence  of  Daniel  E.  Powars,  a  well-known  baker,  and, 
before  him,  of  Deacon  Edward  Edes.  Long  before,  it  was  the 
home  of  the  Rev.  John  Webb,  the  first  minister  of  the  New  North 
Church ;  and  here  the  council  for  the  installation  of  the  Rev.  Peter 
Thacher  met,  January  28,   1720. 

The  following  cut  is  described  on  page  207. 


^ 


;p5\... 


Hi*  {t 


lip. 


UNITY   STREET. 


N  strolling  through  the  North  End,  one  finds  a 
congenial  relic  of  the  past  in  Unity  Street,  —  a  kind 
of  "  sleepy  hollow "  between  Tileston  and  Charter 
Streets.  Not  being  a  thoroughfare,  this  ancient 
way  is  undisturbed  most  of  the  time  by  passers-by ;  and  vehicles 
are  seldom  seen,  except  those  of  the  loud-mouthed  fruit  venders, 
who  are,  indeed,  never  out  of  sight  in  these  parts. 

Unity  Street  was  laid  out  before  1710  by  a  syndicate  com- 
posed of  Ebenezer  Clough,  Solomon  Townsend,  Matthew  Butler, 
and  other  enterprising  men,  who  owned  a  considerable  tract  of 
land  in  this  vicinity  which  they  cut  up  and  sold  in  house-lots. 
Their  new  street  appears  on  Bonner's  map  of  1722,  though 
without  a  name.  It  was  sometimes  called  Elit's  Street,  probably 
after  the  Eliots,  who  were  early  land-owners  here.  By  1753  it 
had  come  to  be  commonly  known  as  Unity  Street. 

The  most  interesting  building  here  architecturally,  and  the 
best-preserved  specimen  in  Boston  of  the  early  style  of  brick 
houses,  at  once  substantial  and  modest,  is  at  No.  23.  It  is  built 
of  large  imported  brick  —  the  largest  to  be  seen  in  Boston  — 
laid  partly  in  the  English  bond,  with  the  usual  heavy  belt. 
The   windows  are  very  wide,  and   the  panes   are   square,  resem- 


226  Unity  Street. 

bling  those  of  the  Tremere  house,  seen  on  page  17.  The 
entrance  is  back  from  the  street,  and  the  old  door-knocker  is 
still  in  use.  The  staircase  is  ornamental,  and  the  great  beam 
in  the  parlor  is  in  keeping  with  the  massive  walls.  The  corner 
house  formerly  corresponded  with  this,  but  was  remodelled  a 
few  years  ago. 

This  location,  as  late  as  1 707,  was  a  part  of  "  Bennet's  pas- 
ture." John  Love,  mariner,  and  Susannah  his  wife,  sold  the 
land  to  Ebenezer  Clough  ;  and  he,  with  Thankful  his  wife,  sold 
it,  in  171 1,  to  Ebenezer  Kimball  of  Wenham,  bricklayer.  Kim- 
ball doubtless  built  the  house,  as  it  passed  from  his  hands  in 
1724  to  Caleb  Parker,  whose  descendants  have  held  it  down  to 
the  present  day. 

Jedediah  Parker,  a  son  of  Caleb,  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard, 
and  a  son-in-law  of  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Eells,  of  Scituate.  His 
daughter,  Mary  Adams,  married  Thomas  Knox  Emery,  a  silver- 
smith ;  and,  after  a  widowhood  of  sixty-three  years,  she  died,  in 
possession  of  this  house,  in  1878,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
two.  When  she  was  twelve  years  old,  she  made  twelve  linen 
shirts  for  her  father,  —  an  example  of  juvenile  industry  not  as 
rare  in  those  days  as  it  would  be  now. 

From  this  venerable  woman  several  facts  were  obtained  which 
are  worthy  of  record.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  her 
grandfather's  family  left  the  town  and  went  to  Saugus.  The 
British  took  possession  of  the  house  and  occupied  it  during  the 
siege.  It  is  said  that  they  opened  a  small  grocery  shop  on 
the  premises.  When  the  owners  returned,  after  the  Evacuation, 
they  found  much  of  their  furniture  injured  and  some  of  it 
missing.     The   troops   left    a    parting    remembrance,   however,   in 


Unity   Street.  227 

the  shape  of  a  cannon-ball  in  the  cellar.  A  valuable  mahogany 
desk  had  been  taken  to  the  barracks  on  the  Common.  After 
much  searching  it  was  discovered  and  restored  to  its  place,  and 
it  has  been  in  use  ever  since.  It  was  made  in  England,  and  is 
finely  carved  with  classic  faces  and  claw  feet.  It  contains  the 
usual  pigeon-holes  and  drawers,  including  an  adroitly  concealed 
secret  drawer. 

Among  other  antique  treasures  from  this  house  may  be  men- 
tioned a  Bible,  a  punch-bowl,  samplers  of  1741,  a  tea-caddy,  a 
coffee-mill,  two  silver  porringers  made  by  Paul  Revere,  a  light- 
stand,  and  several  chairs  of  excellent  workmanship.  These  articles 
have  now  passed  to  the  children  of  Captain  Samuel  Leach.* 

The  house  next  to  this  on  the  right  exhibits  some  rather  eccen- 
tric architectural  features,  one  of  which  is  that  while  the  voussoirs 
and  keystones  of  the  first-story  window  arches  are  generally  of 
brick,  those  on  each  side  of  the  key  are  of  solid  wood.  The 
reason  for  this  is  not  apparent.  Above  the  door  is  a  carved  brick 
lintel  ;  and  along  the  whole  front  is  a  unique  attempt  at  ornament 
by  an  irregular  relief  in  brick.  The  moulded  water-table  and  the 
solid  plank  sills  are  noticeable.  The  upper  story  was  not  a  part 
of  the  original  building. 

The  brick  house  adjoining  this  (No.  19),  and  identical  with  it 
in  age  and  style,  though  not  as  wide,  is  the  one  which  Benjamin 
Franklin  owned  for  many  years,  and  which  was  the  home  of  two 
of  his  sisters,  Elizabeth  and  Jane.  It  came  to  him  as  collateral 
upon  a  loan  which  he  made,  in  1748,  to  Richard  Dowse,  the 
second    husband   of    his    sister   Elizabeth,  who  had    received    the 

*  The  coffee-mill  and  the  front  door  lock  (a  foot  long)  have  recently  been  given  to  the 
Bostonian  Society. 


228  Unity   Street. 

estate  from  her  first  husband,  Joseph  Berry,  who  died  in  17 19. 
Berry  had  bought  the  house,  in  1716,  of  Deacon  John  Barrett, 
who  probably  built  it,  as  he  speaks  of  it  as  "  newly  formed  for 
habitation." 

On  the  death  of  Dowse,  Franklin  allowed  his  sisters,  both  of 
them  being  widows,  to  occupy  the  house  together.  As  there  was 
a  difference  of  thirty-five  years  in  their  ages,  —  Elizabeth  being 
the  oldest  and  Jane  the  youngest  of  seventeen  children,  —  and  a 
still  greater  difference  in  their  tastes  and  habits,  they  did  not 
get  on  very  well  together.  The  younger  sister  wrote  to  their 
brother  in  Philadelphia,  begging  him  to  provide  some  other  home 
for  Elizabeth,  who  had  become  very  troublesome  in  her  old  age. 
Franklin  sent  the  following  wise  letter  in  reply :  — 

"  As  having  their  own  way  is  one  of  the  greatest  comforts  of  life  to  old 
people,  I  think  their  friends  should  endeavor  to  accommodate  them  in  that  as  well 
as  in  anything  else.  When  they  have  long  lived  in  a  house,  it  becomes  natural  to 
them  ;  they  are  almost  as  closely  connected  with  it  as  the  tortoise  with  his  shell ; 
they  die  if  you  tear  them  out  of  it  ;  old  folks  and  old  trees,  if  you  remove  them,  it 
is  ten  to  one  that  you  kill  them  ;  so  let  our  good  old  sister  be  no  more  importuned 
on  that  head.  We  are  growing  old  fast  ourselves,  and  shall  expect  the  same  kind 
of  indulgences  ;  if  we  give  them,  we  shall  have  a  right  to  receive  them  in  our 
turn.  .  .  .  Old  age,  infirmities,  and  poverty,  joined,  are  afflictions  enough.  The 
neglect  and  slights  of  friends  and  near  relatives  should  never  be  added." 

The  old  lady  died  soon  after;  and  Jane  lived  here  undisturbed 
nearly  forty  years  longer.  More  than  any  of  the  family,  she  is 
said  to  have  resembled  her  famous  brother  in  strength  of  character 
and  practical  good  sense.  She  seems  to  have  developed  early,  for 
she  married  Edward  Mecom  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  Benjamin, 
who  was  only  a  few  years  her  senior,  was  interested  in  the  event, 
and  sent  her  a  gift,  with  the  following  note; — - 


Unity    Street.  229 

"...  I  have  been  thinking  what  would  be  a  suitable  present  for  me  to  make, 
and  for  you  to  receive,  as  I  hear  you  are  grown  a  celebrated  beauty.  I  had 
almost  determined  upon  a  tea-table;  but  when  I  considered  that  the  character 
of  a  good  housewife  was  far  preferable  to  that  of  being  only  a  pretty  gentle- 
woman, I  concluded  to  send  you  a  spinning  wheel,  which  I  hope  you  will  accept 
as  a  small  token  of  my  sincere  love  and  affection." 

In  1802  the  house  was  sold  by  John  Lathrop,  D.D.,  and 
Benjamin  Sumner,  executors  of  the  will  of  Jane  Mecom.  Noah 
Lincoln  bought  it  and  lived  here  till  1820.  For  the  last  fifty-five 
years  it  has  been  the  home  of  Elias  W.  Goddard,  the  well-known 
cooper  and  one  of  the  few  living  representatives  of  the  old-time 
Boston  mechanics.  His  yard,  which  is  directly  behind  Christ 
Church,  has  the  best-kept  vines  and  plants  of  any  at  the  North 
End,  reminding  one  of  the  care  which  was  formerly  bestowed 
upon  all  the  gardens  in  this  neighborhood. 

Among  former  residents  in  Unity  Street  may  be  mentioned 
Joseph  Bassett,  Jacob  G.  L.  Libby,  jeweller,  John  J.  Swift, 
President  of  the  Fitchburg  Railroad,  Joseph  Rogers,  Cotton 
Thayer,  John  D.  Howard,  Colonel  Peter  Dunbar,  Commander 
of  the  Lancers,  Samuel  Melendy,  Henry  Fowle,  Deacon  Jacob 
Hiler,  Stephen  Vialle,  Jr.,  and  Charles  A.  Vialle,  President  of 
the  Bank  of  the  Republic. 

Robinson's  Alley  — now  called  Webster  Avenue  for  reasons 
not  given  —  is  one  of  the  narrowest,  darkest,  and  most  repulsive 
lanes  in  the  city,  suggesting  the  Ghetto  of  Rome  or  the  old 
Judengasse  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main.  This  used  to  be  the  head- 
quarters of  the  colored  people  before  they  migrated  to  Belknap 
Street.     They    kept   poultry,   ducks,   pigs,   monkeys,  parrots,   and 


230  Tiles  ton  Street. 

other  live-stock  in  great  numbers.  When  the  celebration  of 
peace  took  place  after  the  War  of  1812,  the  denizens  of  this 
alley  were  not  to  be  outdone  in  their  illuminations.  They  put 
lights  in  all  their  windows,  and  then  went  up  town  to  see  what 
others  had  done.  Meantime  their  candles  burned  low  and  set 
fire  to  some  of  their  houses;  and  soon  the  whole  alley  was  ablaze, 
giving  them  indeed  the  grandest  display  of  all,  but  leaving  them 
without  a  single  house  for  shelter  the  next  morning. 

Tileston  Street  received  its  present  name  from  the  veteran 
pedagogue,  whose  school  was  hard  by.  In  honoring  him,  how- 
ever, the  town  fathers  seem  to  have  forgotten  the  ancient  Love 
family,  whose  name  the  street  had  borne  for  more  than  a  century. 
Perhaps  "  Love  Lane,"  as  it  was  generally  called,  having  lost  its 
original  meaning,  was  not  considered  sufficiently  romantic  as  a 
place  of  resort  for  the  modern  Johns  and  Susannahs.  Copp's 
Hill  Burial  Ground  seems  to  have  answered  their  purpose  much 
better. 

Love  Street  did  not  extend  through  to  Salem  Street  until  1734, 
when,  after  much  discussion,  a  strip  of  land  was  taken  from 
Jonathan  Jackson  and  Jonathan  Loring,  and  a  "  highway  of  six 
feet  laid  out."  No  doubt  the  neighbors  were  glad  to  see  the 
old  "fence  removed,"  as  previously  they  had  been  obliged  to 
pass  around  through  Bennet  Street.  On  the  corner  of  Love 
and  Salem  Streets  lived  Doctor  Timothy  Cutler,  very  near  his 
church.  Other  residents  in  this  street  at  various  periods  have 
been  John  Ripley,  Captain  William  Ward,  Benjamin  Cushing, 
Samuel  Auckley,  Joshua  Ellis,  Benjamin  Coomey,  Samuel  Brown, 
James  Damon,  James  Wright,  and  Edward   H.   Dunn. 


Tiles  ton  Street.  231 

It  is  said  that  Mather  Byles  was  born  on  Tileston  Street,  in  the 
brick  house  still  standing  (No.  12)  near  Hanover  Street.  His 
father,  Josiah  Byles,  was  a  saddler,  and  came  from  Winchester, 
England,  about  1695.  He  married,  for  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth, 
widow  of  William  Greenough,  and  daughter  of  Increase  Mather. 
Their  distinguished  son  was  born  March  15,  170-f-,  and  baptized 
the  next  day.  As  the  father  had  made  his  will  two  or  three  years 
before,  and  died  soon  after  the  birth  of  this  child,  leaving  him 
nothing,  the  deficiency  was  remedied  by  Judge  Sewall,  who 
ordered  the  executor  to  give  Mather  an  equal  share  with  the 
other  children.  The  will  gave  the  mother's  Bible  to  the  oldest 
son,  and  an   Indian  boy,  named  Winchester,  to  the  youngest. 

Mather  Byles  attended  the  school  in  Bennet  Street;  and  took 
his  first  degree  at  Harvard  College  in  1725.  He  joined  the 
Second  Church  the  same  year,  and  was  settled  as  the  first 
pastor  of  the  Hollis  Street  Church  in  1733,  remaining  in  office 
forty-three  years.  He  was  the  foremost  wit  of  his  time,  and 
many  of  his  local  puns  will  never  be  forgotten.  He  was  a  power- 
ful and  persuasive  preacher  withal,  and  a  poet  of  no  mean  re- 
pute ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  persistent  toryism  of  his  later 
years,  his  whole  career  would  have  been  better  known.  His  first 
wife  was  a  niece  of  Governor  Belcher,  and  his  second  a  daugh- 
ter of  Lieutenant-Governor  Tailer.  His  home  was  on  Tremont 
near  Nassau  Street,  where  his  two  unmarried  daughters  lived 
many  years  after  his  death,  always  maintaining  their  father's 
views,  and  clinging  to  the  past  with  great  tenacity.  They  would 
usually  take  their  tea  on  a  table  which  had  been  used  by  Dr. 
Franklin,  they  would  blow  the  fire  with  bellows  two  hundred  years 
old,  and  would  go  to  church  in  dresses  of  exceptional  antiquity. 


232 


Tiles  ton   Street. 


Another  name  of  some  note  is  connected  with  this  same  house. 
John  Dixwell,  son  of  the  regicide,  came  here  from  New  Haven, 
and  was  one  of  the  founders  and  officers  of  the  New  North. 
He  was  a  goldsmith  by  trade,  and  was  highly  esteemed  among 
his  contemporaries. 

The  oldest-looking  house  on  this  street  is  the  one  given  in  the 
following  cut.  Though  it  has  long  been  in  a  moribund  condition, 
it  seems  to  defy  the  attacks  of  time  and  hard  usage.  It  was  a 
comely  homestead  in  its  day,  but  it  has  outlived  its  dignity  if 
not  its  usefulness.  The  roof  is  very  undulating,  and  the  whole 
structure  is  shaky  enough  to  satisfy  any  artist.  The  clapboards 
have  scarf  joints  and  moulded  edges,  and  are  fastened  with 
wooden  pins  and  wrought  nails.  The  ground-floor  windows  are 
about  as  low  as  those  given  on  page  48.  Among  the  former 
occupants  of  this  house  may  be  mentioned  William  S.  Baxter, 
Captain  of  the  Montgomery  Guards. 


a-Sste^i 


CHARTER  STREET. 


NE  of  the  widest,  sunniest,  and  most  respectable 
streets  in  Boston  was  at  the  extreme  end  of  the 
town,  ascending  by  an  easy  slope  from  Hanover 
Street  and  passing  along  the  brow  of  Copp's  Hill 
by  the  old  Burial  Ground.  This  has  long  been  known  as  Char- 
ter Street,  so  named  in  memory  of  the  Charter  of  William  and 
Mary,  brought  over  in  1692  by  Sir  William  Phips,  whose  house 
was  on  the  corner  of  this  street  and  Green  Lane  (now  Salem 
Street). 

In  the  Colonial  time  this,  like  many  other  streets,  seems  to 
have  had  no  particular  name.  It  was  variously  designated  as 
"  the  way  leading  from  Rainsford's  corner  to  the  North  Burying 
Place  ; "  or  "  the  street  leading  up  to  the  mansion  house  of  Sir 
William  Phips,  Knight ; "  or,  a  little  later,  as  "  the  highway 
leading  up  to  the  mansion  house  of  the  Lady  Phips."  Its 
present  appropriate  name  was  given  by  the  selectmen  in  1708, 
and  happily  it  has  been  allowed  to  remain.  From  this  street  a 
few  narrow  lanes  led  down  to  the  water's  edge ;  the  bluff  at  the 
northern  end  being  so  steep  that  for  a  long  time  there  was  no 
public  way  laid  out  below  it,  until  Lynn  (now  Commercial) 
Street  was  extended  around  by  Hudson's  Point  to  the  Charles- 
town  Ferry  at  the  foot  of  Prince  Street. 


238  Charter  Street. 

Until  recently  one  could  find  in  Charter  Street  quite  a  number 
of  ancient  dwellings  well  worth  examining.     They  are  disappear- 
ing from  year  to  year,  as  the  demand  for  larger  and  more  modern 
tenements  increases.     The  house  selected  for  illustration  here  is 
No.  23,  on  the  corner  of    Vernon   Place,  and  is  familiar  to  all 
old   residents  of  this  vicinity.     It  was  owned  for  many  years  by 
Mayor  Wells,  and  is   now   the   property  of  the   heirs   of    Joshua 
Bennett.     There  has  been  a  tradition  at  the  North  End  that  the 
Colonial  Charter  was  concealed  in  this  house  at  the  time  of  its 
revocation  by  Charles   II. :   but  tradition  must  give  way  to  fact; 
and    the    fact    is    that    there    was    no    house    here    at    that    time. 
Nicholas    Upsall   owned   the   land,   and   in    1694  willed   it  to  his 
grandson,  Nicholas  Cocke,  who  two  years  later  sold  it  to  William 
Clough ;  and  he,  doubtless,  built  the  house  immediately  after,  as 
he    sold    land    and    house    in    1698    to   John    Pulling,  who   lived 
in    it    a    long    time,    and  left    it    to    his    sister    Grace,    widow   of 
Richard  Pitcher.     She  sold  it,  in   1739,  to  William   Merchant,  a 
brother-in-law  of  Governor  Hutchinson.     In   1758  it  was  bought 
by   Captain    Fortesque   Vernon,   and   remained   in   his   family  for 
nearly    three    quarters    of    a    century.      He    was    the    owner    of 
Vernon's    Wharf,  afterward    Goddard's,   then    May's,   now   Union 
Wharf.     His  son,  William  Vernon,  had  at  one  time  a  plantation 
called  Boston  in   the   Colony   of    Essequibo.     He    provided    that 
his  "  negro  woman  named  Mary  "  should  be  set  free  at  his  death ; 
"  but  I  enjoin  her,"  he  says,  "  never  to  leave  my  children.     She 
may  live  with  any  of    them   she   chooses,  and   shall    be    allowed 
and  paid  out  of  my  estate  ten  pounds  lawful  money  per  annum, 
besides  her  clothes,  for  and  during  her  natural  life."     His  oldest 
son,  Fortesque  Vernon,  was  a  graduate  of   Harvard  College. 


Charter  Street.  239 

The  west  wall  of  this  old  house  is  built  of  brick,  strengthened 
by  anchor-heads,  and  pierced  irregularly  for  small  windows.  The 
rest  of  the  building  is  of  wood  in  good  preservation.  The  interior 
finish  is  substantial  and  quite  artistic.  A  private  school  was  kept 
here  by  Elizabeth  Vernon,  the  last  of  the  name  to  occupy  the 
house.  Some  of  her  scholars  are  still  living.  This  was  also  the 
home  of  Nathaniel  Woodward,  whose  three  daughters  were  famous 
singers  in  the  choir  of  one  of  the  North  End  churches,  and  whose 
granddaughter,  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  has  achieved  a  still  wider 
distinction. 

Greenough's  Lane,  on  the  left,  is  an  ancient  passage-way  lead- 
ing down  to  Greenough's  Wharf,  named  for  Captain  William 
Greenough,  who  established  here  one  of  the  earliest  and  largest 
ship-yards  in  the  town.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Church, 
a  tithing-man,  a  constable,  a  liberal  subscriber  to  public  improve- 
ments, and  a  worthy  pioneer  in  the  long  roll  of  intelligent  and 
prosperous  mechanics  who  have  made  the  ship-yards  of  the  North 
End  resound  with  the  busy  hum  of  industry,  and  have  added  a 
large  proportion  to  the  solid  wealth  and  prosperity  of  Boston. 
The  sectional  view  on  the  right  of  the  picture  is  taken  from  a 
point  below  in  Greenough's  Lane,  looking  up  toward  Charter  and 
into  Unity  Street.  The  tree  overhanging  the  roofs  of  the  houses 
stands  in  the  yard  of  the  old  Swift  estate.  In  the  house  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Lane  lived,  at  the  close  of  the  last  century,  Samuel 
Mills,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Boston. 
On  the  east  corner  of  Vernon  Place  lived  Henry  Hutchinson,  the 
well-known  sail-maker;  and  also  Nathan  Hobbs,  his  son-in-law. 
Beyond  this,  toward  Hanover  Street,  lived  Jairus  Pratt  and 
Samuel    N.  Cushing,  calkers  and  gravers.     Next  to  them  came 


240  Charter  Street, 

two  of  the  Rhoades  Brothers,  hatters.  William  Eaton,  house- 
wright,  was  their  neighbor.  A  little  farther  on  was  a  large 
wooden  house  belonging  to  Joseph  Chandler,  painter,  and  to  his 
descendants  until  it  was  taken  down,  about  thirty  years  ago,  to 
make  way  for  a  modern  brick  block. 

On  the  corner  of  Hanover  Street  has  been  a  famous  apothe- 
cary-shop for  several  generations,  kept  by  Archibald,  Hunt,  John 
Thayer,  Richardson,  Isaac  Fowle,  and  others,  each  in  turn  receiv- 
ing the  title  of  doctor.  Many  are  the  stories  told  of  these  men, 
some  of  whom  must  have  been  original  characters.  Their  shop 
was  always  open,  not  only  to  customers  but  to  people  in  general 
who  wanted  to  learn  the  news  of  the  day  or  discuss  public 
affairs.  This  hospitality  was  naturally  agreeable  to  the  small 
boys  of  the  neighborhood,  who  sometimes,  in  Dr.  Thayer's 
day,  congregated  in  such  numbers  around  the  door  and  under 
the  bow-window  as  to  disturb  his  equanimity.  He  would  bear 
it  for  a  while,  and  then,  suddenly  seizing  a  whip,  which  he  seems 
to  have  kept  on  hand  for  the  purpose,  he  would  rush  out  of  the 
door  and  chase  the  youngsters,  who  would  take  to  their  heels  and 
disappear  around  the  corner,  only  to  return  again  at  a  favorable 
moment  to  renew  the  sport.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  old 
gentleman's  temperament  became  somewhat  irascible  under  such 
provocation ;  but  it  is  likely  that  the  boys  would  never  have 
thought  of  vexing  him,  if  they  had  not  enjoyed  his  comical 
efforts  to  drive  them  away. 

On  the  south  side  of  Charter  Street,  just  west  of  Revere  Place, 
stood  the  house  of  Paul  Revere,  where  he  lived  during  the  last 
twenty  years  of  his  life.  It  was  a  large  three-story  brick  mansion, 
standing  back  from  the  street  and  painted  a  light  yellowish  tint. 


Charter  Street.  241 

It  was  built  by  Captain  Newman  Greenough  before  the  Revolution. 
There  was  an  iron  fence  in  front,  with  hanging  chains  from  the 
gate  to  the  door.  The  estate  was  about  sixty-four  feet  wide  and 
one  hundred  and  forty  feet  deep,  containing  a  large  yard  in  the 
rear,  where  bells  were  often  placed  for  inspection  after  being  cast 
in  the  foundry.  Purchasers  would  come  to  hear  them  sounded ; 
and  boys  would  often  gather  around  out  of  curiosity.  One  of  their 
number  remembers  being  present  with  others  on  such  an  occasion, 
when  they  were  probably  in  the  way ;  for  Mr.  Revere  pushed  them 
aside  with  his  cane,  saying :  "  Take  care,  boys !  if  that  hammer 
should  hit  your  head,  you  'd  ring  louder  than  these  bells  do." 

In  1824  the  estate  was  bought  by  the  Penitent  Female  Refuge 
Society;  and  in  1843  it  was  taken  down  to  make  room  for  a  new 
block  of  houses.  So  thoroughly  was  it  built  that  when  the  work- 
men pried  off  the  upper  story  wall,  it  fell  in  one  mass  to  the 
ground  and  broke  only  in  the  middle,  —  an  example  of  solid 
masonry  not  unlike  the  famous  "  Blown-up  Tower "  of  Heidel- 
berg Castle,  which,  when  undermined  by  the  French,  was  detached 
by  the  explosion,  and,  instead  of  crumbling  to  pieces,  fell  unbroken 
into  the  moat,  where  it  has  ever  since  remained. 

Between  Reveres  house  and  Unity  Street  lived  William 
Thompson,  Thomas  Hudson,  printer  on  the  "Centinel,"  and  Simon 
Wilkinson,  whose  garden  yielded  an  abundance  of  grapes.  Far- 
ther up  lived,  in  adjacent  houses,  two  well-known  sea-captains, 
William  Burrows  and  Samuel  B.  Edes,  who  used  to  sail  on  long 
voyages,  leaving  their  families  to  keep  each  other  company. 

On  the  east  corner  of  Henchman's  Lane,  in  the  large  wooden 
house  built  by  his  father,  lived  George  Darracott,  a  prominent 
citizen,  who   was   identified  with    many  public   interests,  such   as 


242  Charter  Street, 

the  Marine  Railway,  the  Boston  Gas  Works,  and  the  new  Fire 
Department.  The  latter  was  organized  largely  through  his  influ- 
ence, and  he  was  appointed  second  in  command,  with  William 
Barnicoat  chief.  Mr.  Darracott's  family  numbered  eight  sons 
and  eight  daughters,  many  of  whom  are  still  living.  On  the 
opposite  corner  lived  Zephaniah  Sampson,  the  father  of  George 
R.  Sampson;  and  a  few  doors  back,  on  Henchman's  Lane,  was 
the  home  of  Jonathan  Cary,  of  the  firm  of  Cary  &  Brown,  spar- 
makers.  Several  sons  have  honored  the  name  in  various  positions. 
William  H.  Cary,  who  moved  to  Brooklyn  and  established  a  suc- 
cessful business,  had  a  summer  residence  in  Lexington,  where  his 
widow,  Maria  Hastings  Cary,  founded  the  Cary  Library  for  the 
free  use  of  the  town.  Isaac  H.  Cary  is  well  remembered  as  a 
large  real-estate  owner  in  Boston.  Beyond  the  Cary  house  lived 
John  Trench  and  Thomas  Lewis.  These  houses  have  long  since 
lost  their  original  air  of  neatness  and  comfort. 

Opposite  Salem  Street  lived  Joseph  Bassett,  and,  a  little  farther 
up,  John  B.  Wells,  his  partner.  William  Lee,  of  Lee  &  Shepard, 
lived  at  No.  61,  and  in  the  next  house  George  Carpenter,  whose 
grandfather,  Richard  Carpenter,  died  a  prisoner  of  war,  during 
the  Revolution,  in  the  hands  of  the  British.  His  wife,  Hannah 
Brackett,  was  Governor  Hancock's  housekeeper.  George  O. 
Carpenter  was  born  here.  Immediately  in  the  rear,  on  a  court, 
lived  Oliver  Ditson,  whose  mother  kept  a  private  school,  which 
is  still  pleasantly  remembered  by  some  of  her  old  scholars. 

Among  the  residents  of  Charter  Street  in  the  last  century  were 
Captain  Alexander  Sears,  Foster  Cruft,  Captain  Jonathan  Lord, 
William  Jepson,  Captain  Ozias  Goodwin,  Colonel  Robert  Gardner, 
Samuel    McCleary,   Joab    Hunt,  and    Commodore    David    Porter, 


Charter  Street.  243 

son  of  Captain  Porter,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  father  of  the 
Admiral.  More  recently  may  be  noted  Edward  Cruft,  Captain 
John  Cruft,  James  Washburn,  William  Gramme r,  Deacon  David 
Parker,  Captain  of  the  Bennet  Street  Engine  Company,  and  father 
of  Robert  Parker,  of  the  Parker  House,  San  Francisco,  John 
Singleton,  Humphrey  Chadbourn,  John  Howe,  Captain  Thomas 
G.  Hiler,  father  of  the  President  of  the  Faneuil  Hall  Bank,  Peter 
Hemmenway,  James  L.  Mills,  Deacon  Samuel  Tenney,  President 
of  the  Merchants'  Insurance  Company,  John  Ritchie,  Charles  H. 
Stearns,  and  John  P.  Ober. 

Many  of  the  houses  on  Charter  Street  formerly  commanded  an 
extensive  view  over  Charlestown,  Chelsea,  and  East  Boston.  On 
the  day  of  Bunker  Hill  they  were  thronged  with  spectators, 
anxiously  awaiting  the  result  of  the  firing.  As  the  wounded 
were  brought  over  in  boats  they  were  taken  to  the  nearest  avail- 
able houses  for  treatment.  There  are  persons  now  living  who  can 
remember  seeing  the  marks  of  blood  left  by  the  wounded  British 
on  the  floors  of  houses  in  this  street.  The  Governor  Phips 
mansion  was  used  for  officers,  one  of  whom  was  brought  there 
on  a  litter,  flourishing  his  sword,  and  vociferously  cursing  the 
Yankees. 

The  same  day,  in  the  morning,  Mrs.  William  Palfrey,  then  an 
infant  in  arms,  was  carried  by  an  elder  sister  up  Middle  Street, 
between  two  lines  of  soldiers  who  were  waiting  to  be  ferried  over 
to  Charlestown,  and  eating  what  to  many  of  them  must  have 
been  their  last  meal.  One  of  them  called  out,  u  Is  that  your 
child,  my  dear?"  which,  of  course,  frightened  the  poor  girl,  and 
quickened  her  steps  to  get  to  a  place  of  safety  as  soon  as  possible. 

Opposite  the  burial-ground,   on   Charter  Street,   stood,  until    a 


244 


Charter  Street. 


few  months  ago,  a  small  one-story  house,  of  which  a  sketch  is 
given  below.  Most  visitors  to  Copp's  Hill  will  remember  it.  In 
the  last  century  these  little  "  ten-footers,"  as  they  were  called,  were 
quite  common  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  especially  along  the  south 
shore.  Only  a  few  of  them  can  now  be  seen.  In  style  and  size 
they  are  a  remnant  of  the  primitive  houses  of  New  England, 
which  were  much  smaller  than  is  generally  supposed.  The  wonder 
is  how  they  could  ever  shelter  such  large  families  as  many  of  them 
are  known  to  have  done. 


®tetjy?x 


Wwmmm^mm 


VERNON    PLACE 


S  early  as  1698  William  Clough,  who  built  the  Vernon 
house  in  Charter  Street  already  described,  was  living 
in  the  rear,  and  probably  in  the  oldest  part  of  the 
long  wooden  building  here  given ;  for  he  reserved 
to  himself  and  his  heirs  forever  "  full  and  free  liberty  and  privilege 
of  ingress,  egress,  and  progress  to  and  from  said  tenement ; .  .  . 
and  to  fetch  water  from  the  pump  and  out  of  the  well."  This 
ancient  passage-way  was  named  Vernon  Place  in  1825,  when 
Charles  Wells  was  interested  in  improving  the  adjacent  estates 
which  he  had  recently  acquired. 

The  principal  door  is  uniquely  panelled,  and  the  window  frames 
are  of  solid  wood.  The  side  on  Greenough's  Lane  has  a  number 
of  very  small  swing-sash  windows  opening  outward,  —  mere  port- 
holes.. The  antiquity  of  the  house  is  seen  at  the  farther  end,  in 
the  overhanging  second  story,  of  which  there  are  very  few  speci- 
mens left  in  Boston.  The  interior  retains  its  Colonial  character. 
Any  modern  house  would  be  richly  adorned  with  these  large 
chimney-panels  and  this  superb  beaufet,  built  into  the  corner 
nearly  two  hundred  years  ago,  with  its  shell-shaped  canopy, 
carved  cherubs,  and  fluted  pilasters. 

Among  the  later  occupants  of  this  estate  were  the  families  of 
George  Hiler,  Nathaniel  Nottage,  and  Alexander  S.  Chandler. 
Dr.  Thomas  H.  Chandler,  of   Harvard  University,  was  born  here. 


250 


Vernon  Place, 


In  their  time  the  land  opposite,  now  covered  with  tenements,  was 
an  open  space  where  children  played.  At  the  end  of  the  court 
stands  a  small  brick  block,  with  gardens  in  front  still  kept  up. 
Here  lived  Samuel  Mansur,  Major  Daniel  Henderson,  who  served 
in  the  War  of  181 2,  from  Dover,  N.H.,  and  John  B.  Hillard,  whose 
distinguished  son,  George  S.  Hillard,  went  from  here  to  the  Latin 
School  and  Harvard  College,  where  he  won  so  many  honors.  His 
first  notable  achievement  was  the  winning  of  the  Lloyd  gold  medal, 
inscribed:  scholae  latin ae  filio  digno  georgio  s.  hillard  ab 
urbe  pro  meritis  datum  mdcccxxiv.  On  the  reverse  was  a 
figure  of  Minerva  crowning  youths  in  front  of  the  Parthenon; 
and  for  a  legend  the  words :  palma  non  sine  pulvere.  These 
medals  wrere  awarded  only  two  years,  —  in  1823,  to  Davis  of  the 
Latin,  and  Dixwell  of  the  English  High  School;  and  in  1824  to 
Hillard  and  Simonds. 


faTBL/t 


FOSTER 


plac 

and  for  a  long  tin  d  Slidi 

it  in  the  last  centurj 

John    Foster, 
merchant  of 

nin«  ?'    thro, 
corner,  wl 

been   ] 
was  belit 

charter  was  concealed, 
porter  of    Dr.    Increase    Math 
special  agent  to  England  I 
friendship   pi 

•nor  forbade    .'. 
r,  Foster  contrived 
proved 

',  and   v 
and  offered   to 


JjUOj' 


FOSTER   STREET. 


# 

OSTER  STREET,  like  Lime  Alley,  was  an  old 
passage-way  leading  from  the  upper  part  of  Charter 
Street  down  to  the  water.  It  was  a  favorite  coasting- 
place  with  the  first  generation  of  young  North-enders, 
and  for  a  long  time  was  called  Sliding  Alley.  Another  name  for 
it  in  the  last  century  was   Brewer's   Hill. 

John  Foster,  for  whom  it  is  now  named,  was  an  opulent 
merchant  of  the  early  time  who  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  on 
this  slope,  "  having  the  old  footpath  leading  to  Charlestown  run- 
ning "  through  it.  The  ancient  brick  house  on  the  right-hand 
corner,  which  has  just  given  place  to  a  new  structure,  is  said  to 
have  been  Foster's  residence  during  the  Andros  troubles;  and  it 
was  believed  by  many  to  have  been  the  house  in  which  the  first 
charter  was  concealed.  Foster  was  a  parishioner  and  warm  sup- 
porter of  Dr.  Increase  Mather,  and  urged  his  appointment  as 
special  agent  to  England  to  obtain  redress  of  grievances.  This 
friendship  proved  of  great  value  to  the  Colony;  for  when  the 
Governor  forbade  Mather's  departure,  and  placed  a  sentry  at  his 
door,  Foster  contrived  an  ingenious  plan  for  his  escape,  which 
proved  successful.  He  called  in  the  evening  at  the  Doctor's 
house,  and  was  admitted.  He  then  confided  to  him  his  secret, 
and  offered  to  lend  him   his  clothes,  and   wait  for  them   to   be 


256  Foster  Street. 

returned  in  the  morning.  As  the  two  men  were  of  nearly  the 
same  size  there  was  no  difficulty  in  carrying  out  the  scheme  ;  and 
Mather  put  on  Foster's  garb,  including  his  red  cloak,  tie-wig, 
and  cane  in  hand;  and  thus  disguised  he  readily  passed  the 
sentry  and  walked  to  the  boat  which  was  in  waiting  for  him 
by  Foster  s  order.  The  next  morning  the  clothes  were  returned, 
and  Citizen  Foster  sallied  forth,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  guard, 
who  had  thus  lost  his  prisoner.  By  this  time,  Dr.  Mather  was  on 
board  the  ship  in  the  outer  bay,  with  sails  set  for  England. 

In  1792  Paul  Revere  established  his  foundry  at  the  lower  end 
of  Foster  Street,  on  the  east  side,  bordering  upon  Lynn  Street, 
where  he  carried  on  an  extensive  business. #  The  buildings  were 
damaged  by  the  October  gale  of  1804,  and  he  never  rebuilt  here, 
but  moved  the  works  to  Canton,  where  the  Revere  Copper  Com- 
pany has  since  remained. 

Major  William  Harris,  a  brother  of  Isaac  Harris,  owned  the 
west  side  of  Foster  Street,  and  erected  several  houses  upon  it. 
For  neighbors  he  had  such  men  as  John  Williston,  Samuel  Aspin- 
wall,  Henry  N.  Hooper,  James  S.  Wiggin,  Charles  Hammatt,  and 
Jeremiah  Wetherbee.  In  the  large  corner  house,  seen  in  the 
picture,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Commercial  Street,  was  born 
John  M.  Fiske,  the  present  Deputy  Collector  of  the  Port,  whose 
grandfather,  Benjamin  Fiske,  was  long  the  owner  of  Fiske's  Wharf. 
Many  of  the  Boston  merchants,  in  those  days,  lived  down  by  the 
water,   to    be   near  their  ships  and  superintend   the  loading  and 


*  I  lis  business  card,  neatly  engraved  about  this  time,  announces  that  "  Paul  Revere  and  Son 
at  their  Bell  and  Cannon  Foundry  at  the  North  part  of  Boston  Cast  Bells  and  Brass  Cannon  of 
all  Sizes  and  all  kinds  of  Composition  Work.  Manufacture  Sheets,  Bolts,  Spikes,  Nails  &c.  from 
Malleable  Copper  and  Cold  Rolled.     N5   Cash  for  Old  Brass  and  Copper." 


Foster  Street.  257 

unloading.  The  population  was  almost  wholly  of  the  New  Eng- 
land element,  and  a  residence  here  was  considered,  in  many 
respects,  as  desirable  as  in  any  part  of  the  town. 

Directly  across  the  river  we  get  a  glimpse  of  Charlestown,  a 
near  neighbor,  yet  always  formerly  maintaining  its  independent 
character  and  dignity.  In  the  minds  of  many  the  name  of 
Charlestown  will  recall  the  old  inherited  feud  between  the 
North  End  boys  and  the  "  Charlestown  pigs,"  —  one  of  the  un- 
written chapters  in  the  history  of  Boston.  Ordinarily  the  guerilla 
mode  of  warfare  was  adopted,  as  affording  the  widest  range  for 
individual  prowess,  and  being  at  the  same  time  less  exposed  to 
the  dreaded  eye  of  the  constable.  Scouts  would  be  sent  out 
to  watch  by  the  bridge  for  any  stray  "  pig "  who  ventured  that 
way.  Sometimes,  on  a  Thursday  or  Saturday  afternoon,  the  rival 
forces  would  meet  in  open  combat,  especially  in  winter  when 
Charles  River  was  frozen  over,  furnishing  a  capital  ground  for 
their  manoeuvres.  Armed  with  clubs  and  snow-balls,  each  party 
under  recognized  leaders,  they  would  rush  to  the  attack,  and  often 
keep  it  up  "  until  the  going  down  of  the  sun."  Such  an  engage- 
ment would  be  long  remembered,  as  many  sore  heads  were  the 
result. 

When  the  "  Copp's-hillers  "  had  settled  a  score  with  the  "pigs," 
they  had  not  far  to  go  in  the  other  direction  to  find  the  "  Prince- 
streeters"  ready  to  meet  them,  or  the  "  Ann-streeters  "  (a  rough 
set),  or  the  "  West-enders,"  or  even  the  "  Fort-hillers "  and  the 
"  South-enders."  These  various  rival  factions  would  sometimes 
combine  as  allies,  on  the  one  side  or  the  other,  and  form  two 
great  camps  of  observation  on  the  Common  under  the  command 
of  experienced  generals,  who  would  lead  forth  the  juvenile  armies 


258  Foster  Street. 

to  a  regular  pitched  battle.  This  kind  of  fun  became  at  last 
too  serious  to  be  permitted  by  the  authorities,  and  Mayor  Quincy 
interfered  and  put  a  stop  to  it. 

Other  sports,  involving  less  danger,  but  requiring  equal  inge- 
nuity and  courage,  were  always  in  favor.  One  of  these  was  the 
game  known  as  "  Follow  the  Leader."  Some  boy  was  chosen  to 
lead  wherever  he  pleased,  and  all  the  others  were  bound  to  follow 
or  fall  out.  On  one  occasion  young  Brown  was  the  leader,  and  he 
took  the  boys  over  all  the  fences  and  sheds  he  could  think  of, 
without  being  able  to  shake  them  off.  Finally,  coming  to  Mr. 
Eliot's  house  on  Salem  Street,  he  saw  the  front-door  standing 
open,  and  in  he  walked,  followed  by  all  the  rest,  through  the  hall 
and  into  the  dining-room,  where  the  family  were  seated  at  dinner. 
They  looked  up  with  astonishment  at  this  cool  proceeding,  wonder- 
ing what  it  all  meant,  when  suddenly  a  shout  was  raised,  "  Follow 
your  Leader!"  and  the  boys  all  rushed  for  the  door.  Mr.  Eliot 
sprang  after  them  just  in  time  to  give  the  last  boy  a  vigorous  kick 
as  he  crossed  the  threshold.  Fifty  years  after  this,  the  leader  was 
in  New  York  one  day,  and  met  a  gentleman  who  inquired  if  he 
was  not  Fred  Brown,  who  used  to  live  at  the  North  End  of 
Boston.  He  replied  in  the  affirmative,  whereupon  the  gentle- 
man said,  "  Do  you  remember  playing  '  Follow  my  Leader '  once 
when  we  all  went  into  Mr.  Eliot's  house,  and  the  last  boy  in 
coming  out  received  a  tremendous  kick  ? "  "  Yes,  indeed  I  do," 
said  he,  "and  you  must  be  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  for  he  was 
the  boy  that  got  it."  And  so,  in  fact,  it  was.  At  that  time  he 
was  living  on  Sheafe  Street  and  attending  the  old  Salem  Street 
Academy.  Whatever  he  may  have  learned,  or  failed  to  learn, 
there,  he  certainly  took  his  degree  very  early  on  the  playground 


Foster  Street.  259 

as  master  of  the  art  of  leadership  among  his  peers.  Once  only 
did  he  come  off  as  the  scape-goat  at  the  fag-end  of  the  line;  and 
that  may  easily  be  accounted  for  by  his  extreme  youth.  It  was 
a  lesson  to  be  learned,  and  he  learned  it  well.  After  that,  he 
was  advanced  rapidly  to  the  head,  where  his  fertile  genius  and 
unfailing  pluck  gave  him   the  acknowledged  pre-eminence. 

On  one  occasion  young  Beecher  led  a  string  of  boys  through  a 
number  of  back-yards  and  blind  alleys,  and  over  Copp's  Hill  to 
a  place  where  it  was  being  dug  down  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet 
perpendicular.  He  had  managed  to  throw  off  all  the  boys  but 
one,  and,  being  determined  to  leave  him  also  behind,  he  jumped 
over  this  steep  embankment,  with  an  even  chance  of  breaking 
his  legs;  but  his  undaunted  follower  came  down  plump  behind 
him,  and  the  end  was  not  yet  Beecher  arose,  shook  himself  like 
a  young  lion,  looked  about  for  a  moment,  and  then  dashed  down 
"  Billy  Gray's  "  Wharf,  at  the  end  of  which  lay  a  large  ship.  He 
ran  aboard,  mounted  the  rigging,  crept  out  to  the  end  of  the  yard, 
and — all  heated  and  out  of  breath  as  he  was  —  jumped  into  the 
river.  It  seemed  as  if  he  would  never  come  up ;  but  what  was 
his  delight,  when  he  rose,  to  see  the  other  fellow  standing  there 
on  the  deck,  not  daring  to  follow,  and  all  the  sailors  gathering 
around  to  see  what  had  become  of  this  audacious  duck.  Hi- 
ability  to  lead  was  never  doubted  after  that. 

Beecher  was  a  great  runner  as  well.  Once  he  went  all  the  way 
to  Roxbury  with  Eliot  Lillie  to  get  green  apples.  The  owner 
spied  them,  and  gave  chase  for  nearly  a  mile,  but  had  to  give  it  up. 
All  this  was  the  effervescence  of  a  richly  endowed  nature, — 
frolicsome  and  mischievous,  to  be  sure,  but  never  selfish,  coarse, 
or    mean.      It   was    bubbling    fun,   and    could    hardly   have    been 


260 


Foster  Street. 


restrained,  even  by  his  worthy  father,  who  must  often  have  smiled 
inwardly  as  he  saw  these  endless  pranks.  And  there  was  a  touch 
of  gentleness  mingled  with  it  all,  and  a  high  sense  of  honor,  which 
gave  him  the  unbounded  respect  and  affection  of  all  his  playmates. 
Young  as  he  was,  this  knight  errant  fell  in  love  about  this  time 
with  one  Nancy  E.,  but  was  too  bashful  to  kiss  her  even  when 
she  gave  him  encouragement.  She  was  indeed  a  pretty  girl,  and 
became  an  excellent  woman,  of  whom,  if  she  be  now  alive,  he 
would  no  doubt  ask  pardon  for  his  timidity.  His  whole  boyhood, 
reckless  as  it  seemed,  was  tempered  by  profound  religious  emotions, 
especially  after  he  entered  the  Latin  School,  where  he  made  rapid 
progress  in  his  studies.  There  was  often  a  feeling  of  sadness,  a 
deep  yearning  for  something  better,  that  took  possession  of  him 
after  long  sunshiny  days  as  regularly  as  the  night  follows  the  day. 
He  was  sent  to  Amherst  at  fifteen  to  prepare  for  the  Navy,  and 
brought  up  in  the  Pulpit,  —  a  very  different  port  from  the  one 
he  sailed  for. 


AN   ANCIENT  TUNNEL. 


N  the  water  side  of  Commercial  Street,  leading  from 
the  cellar  of  the  house  No.  453,  is  a  singular  and 
somewhat  mysterious  arch,  about  which  there  is  yet 
abundant  room  for  speculation.  It  rises  from  a  stone 
springing,  and  is  built  of  large  imported  brick  laid  in  the  English 
bond.  It  is  about  five  feet  high,  and  fourteen  feet  wide.  The 
bottom  level,  like  some  of  the  streets  in  Rome,  has  evidently  been 
raised  by  the  gradual  accumulation  of  rubbish,  and  by  its  long  use 
as  a  receptacle  for  wood  and  coal.  The  line  of  the  tunnel  is  not 
at  right  angles  with  the  house,  but  bears  off  in  the  direction  of 
Salem  Street.  When  Commercial  Street  was  widened  some  years 
ago,  the  workmen  found  this  extraordinary  subterranean  passage 
extending  across  the  street,  and  blocked  it  all  up  except  the  end 
given  in  the  picture. 

The  inquiry  is,  what  was  this  for,  and  when  and  by  whom  was 
it  made?  Shaw,  writing  in  181 7,  speaks  of  it  as  being  under  a 
house  in  Lynn  Street,  demolished  by  the  British  during  the  siege. 
He  says  the  arch  had  the  same  width  as  the  house,  and  was  con- 
tinued under  the  street  to  the  cellar  wall  of  the  building  on  the 
opposite  side.  Nothing  positive,  he  says,  was  known  about  it. 
There  had  been  a  conjecture  that  it  was  designed  as  a  retreat  for 
pirates ;  but  so  large  a  piece  of  masonry  could  hardly  have  been 


266  An  Ancient  Tunnel. 

constructed  without  the  knowledge  of  the  authorities,  particularly 
as  the  whole  street  must  have  been  laid  open  to  accomplish  the 
work. 

Shaw  concludes  his  brief  account  as  follows :  "  In  examining 
the  ruins  of  that  part  of  the  town,  I  accidentally  went  into  it, 
and  being  struck  with  its  unusual  situation  and  size,  I  made 
inquiry  of  an  aged  friend  respecting  it.  He  informed  me  that 
he  had  long  known  of  the  arch  ;  that  the  estate  had  formerly 
belonged  to  a  merchant  named  Cheever,  who  was  a  ruling  elder  at 
one  of  the  churches  at  the  North  End,  who  had  been  suspected  of 
having  concern  in  the  smuggling  trade;  and  that  this  arch,  com- 
municating so  directly  with  his  wharf,  was  supposed  to  have  been 
very  convenient  for  that  purpose.  When  constructed  he  could 
not  tell." 

Drake,  following  Hannah  Crocker,  gives  the  theory  that  the 
arch  was  built  by  Captain  Gruchy  during  the  French  wars,  and 
used  as  a  place  of  deposit  for  contraband  goods.  Speaking  of 
Gruchy  as  owning  Governor  Phips's  house,  he  says  that  this 
"  privateering  merchant  built  an  underground  arch  of  brick, 
leading  all  the  way  from  his  house  down  to  the  beach;  and  on 
the  first  night  after  a  vessel  dropped  anchor,  his  boats,  loaded  with 
valuable  booty,  pulled  with  muffled  oars  to  the  shore,  where  the 
goods  were  taken  by  the  sailors  up  to  the  Captain's  house  through 
the  arch,  lighted  by  flaring  torches.  The  mouth  of  the  arch, 
which  was  large  enough  for  boats  to  enter,  was  concealed  by  a 
wharf  running  out  into  the  river.  And  so  the  king  was  cheated 
of  his  share." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  doubt  this  solution  of  the  problem.  We 
have  so  little  of  this  kind  of  romance  in  our  history  that  it  is  best 


An  Ancient  Tunnel.  267 

not  to  disturb  the  tradition,  especially  as  there  is  just  enough  of 
solid  fact  to  allow  it.  Whatever  Cheever  may  have  been,  Gruchy 
was  certainly  a  character  sufficiently  picturesque  to  be  handed 
down  in  song  and  story.  It  is  a  wonder  that  Mr.  Longfellow 
missed  him.  Some  friend  should  have  pointed  him  out.  The 
materials  are  all  here  for  an  epic  poem.  A  Jersey  adventurer 
cruises  along  the  Spanish  Main,  and  captures  valuable  prizes, 
which  he  brings  to  Boston  and  sells  to  great  advantage.  Becom- 
ing rich,  he  concludes  to  make  this  his  home,  and  buys  of  John 
Ruck,  Esq.,  in  1745,  the  famous  mansion  of  Sir  William  Phips, 
with  its  fine  equipment  of  ball-room,  guest  chambers,  servants' 
hall,  coach-house,  stables,  gardens,  terraces,  and  shade  trees. 

Having  set  up  such  an  establishment  he  has  no  difficulty  in 
finding  friends.  His  entertainments  are  gay  and  costly.  He 
becomes  one  of  the  great  men  of  the  town,  a  benefactor  of 
Christ  Church,  a  tithing-man,  a  fireward,  a  chairman  of  com- 
mittees, and  a  subscriber  to  public  improvements.  He  owns 
wharves  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  He  buys  Peter  Butler's  ware- 
house and  Dumaresq's  great  distillery,  extending  his  possessions 
along  the  shore  by  the  old  ferry-way,  so  that  "  Gruchy s  Flats " 
are  still  remembered  as  a  once  familiar  name  for  that  section. 

But  all  this  glory  comes  to  an  untimely  end.  Whether  his  ships 
cease  to  come  in,  whether  ill-gotten  gain  becomes  a  snare,  whether 
the  secret  treasure-vault  gives  out,  or  is  discovered,  no  one  knows. 
But  his  light  is  extinguished.  He  does  not  die;  he  makes  no  will ; 
he  leaves  no  children.  He  simply  disappears  from  the  scene ;  and 
his  riches,  like  the  old  hulks  at  his  wharf,  are  sunk  out  of  sight. 
The  stately  mansion,  with  all  his  equipage,  is  sold  for  the  creditors  ; 
and   the    name  of   Gruchy  appears    no  more  in   Boston   annals. 


268  Salem   Street 

The  moral  is  here,  and  the  story  will  live,  and  the  smugglers' 
tunnel  will  serve  to  perpetuate  it.  The  facts,  so  far  as  they  are 
known,  are  all  given,  and  the  reader  is  at  liberty  to  draw  his 
own  inferences.  It  should  be  said  that  other  arches,  not  unlike 
this,  though  smaller,  have  been  known  at  the  North  End,  and 
some  can  still  be  pointed  out,  but  they  are  generally  supposed 
to  have  been  wine-vaults  or  milk-cellars. 

The  Phips  house  afterward  became  the  residence  of  the  Rev. 
William  Walter,  and,  later,  of  Jonathan  Merry,  who  sold  it,  in 
1814,  to  the  Managers  of  the  Asylum  for  Indigent  Boys. 
Twenty  years  later  this  institution  was  removed  to  Thompson's 
Island,  and  the  old  estate  was  built  over  with  modern  brick 
dwellings. 

Immediately  adjacent  is  the  house  (190  Salem  Street)  of 
the  Dodd  family,  well  known  to  three  generations  of  North- 
enders,  and  still  kept  up  with  becoming  pride.  Timothy  Dodd, 
who  died  here  ten  years  ago  at  the  age  of  ninety-five,  was  con- 
sidered the  oldest  merchant,  in  active  service,  in  the  United  States. 
He  began  as  an  apprentice  to  Governor  Hancocks  nephew  on 
Long  Wharf,  in  1795.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he 
was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  fur  business  on  Milk  Street.  He 
was  regarded  as  an  authority  in  antiquarian  matters,  and  is  often 
quoted  by  his  former  neighbors. 

The  old  Josiah  Snelling  house,  which  stood  next,  has  already 
been  referred  to.  Mrs.  Mary  Whitlock  Snelling  was  a  high- 
spirited  and  patriotic  woman  of  the  Revolution.  On  one  occa- 
sion when  she  was  alone,  preparing  her  dinner,  a  British  soldier 
red  the  bouse  ana  was  insolent  to  her,  whereupon  she  put  him 


Sakm    Street.  269 

out  by  main  strength.  At  another  time  a  British  officer  rode  into 
her  yard,  and  on  his  refusing  to  leave  at  her  bidding,  she  deliber- 
ately seized  his  horse  and  led  him  out  into  the  street,  while  he 
ignominiously  remained  mounted. 

The  Dill  away  house,  next  to  Christ  Church,  has  long  been  one 
of  the  pleasantest  homes  in  this  neighborhood.  Mrs.  William 
Dillaway,  who  has  recently  died,  was  a  connecting  link  with  the 
social  and  domestic  life  of  the  early  days  of  the  republic.  The 
mother  of  twelve  children,  she  lived  to  count  twenty-five  sfrand- 
children,  and  (what  is  more  rare)  twenty-five  great-grandchildren. 
She  was  a  woman  of  strong  character  and  saintly  virtues,  ah 
young  in  spirit  and  active  in  her  benevolence.  Although  the 
ebbing  tide  had  carried  off  most  of  her  friends  to  other  parts  of 
the  city,  she  clung  tenaciously  to  the  home  of  her  youth,  which 
to  the   end  was    illumined    by  her  p  ad  cheered   by  the 

ministrations  of  loving  and  devoted  kindred. 

On  the  east  corner  of  Salem  and  Charter  Streets,  opposite 
the  Phips  mansion,  stood  the  bouse  of  John  Baker,  an  influential 
citizen,  selectman,  and  ruling  elder,  who  has  left  many  descend- 
ants. Immediately  back  of  his  estate  was  the  Ions  wooden  house 
given  below,  still  standing  on  Charter  Street  No.  $8), —  a  g 
example  of  a  style  once  very  common  in  Boston.  The  beams  are 
of  hard  pine,  hewn,  and  perfectly  sound  after  their  long  ser\ 
In    the  first  cellar  is  a  brick  arched   recess,  and  in  thi  .d  a 

very  large  old   fireplace  eight  feet  long,  with  a  bricl  n   inside 

two  feet  deep.     There  is  a  similar  fireplace  in  the  cellar  of  the  old 
Whitman    house  on    Prince   Street.      The   original 
the  house  here  given  is  best  seen  in  the  rear,  where  the  brick  end 
and  pitch   roof  are   unchanged. 


270 


Charter  Street. 


This  estate  has  been  in  the  Watson  family  since  1794,  when 
Edward  Edes  sold  it  to  David  Watson  for  /350.  The  little  one- 
story  "ten-footer,"  on  the  left  of  the  yard,  is  one  of  the  few  remain- 
ing instances  of  a  class  of  modest  but  cosey  tenements  once  quite 
popular  among  the  artisans  of  the  North  End. 


SALUTATION   ALLEY. 


HE  very  name  of  this  place  has  the  flavor  of  an- 
tiquity about  it,  and  the  place  itself  is  in  no  sense 
disappointing.  You  turn  out  of  busy,  glaring  Han- 
over Street,  which  seems  never  to  be  at  rest  day 
or  night,  and  here  you  are  in  as  narrow  and  shady  a  retreat  as 
could  well  be  imagined.  It  is  much  more  like  some  stradetta 
or  vicolo  in  Genoa  or  Naples  than  like  any  of  our  ordinary 
streets.  If  a  loaded  team  goes  through  it,  people  have  to  go  into 
their  houses  to  get  out  of  the  way.  They  make  calls  on  one 
another  by  sitting  in  their  windows  and  talking  back  and  forth. 
It  is  a  capital  whispering  gallery,  —  like  the  Ear  of  Dionysius, — 
in  which  you  can  hear  all  that  is  said  in  the  neighborhood. 


272  Salutation   Alley. 

The  name  comes  from  the  old  Salutation  Tavern,  which  stood 
at  the  lower  end  as  early  as  1693  and  probably  earlier,  and  which, 
in  the  last  century,  was  a  popular  resort  of  the  North-End 
mechanics  and  others  for  political  discussion.  Here  they  organ- 
ized their  caucus,  which  proved  such  an  annoyance  to  the  royalists, 
and  paved  the  way  for  the  united  action  of  the  patriots  in  the 
Revolutionary  movement.  William  Campbell  was  then  the  land- 
lord, and  Dr.  Thomas  Young  the  first  president  of  the  Club. 
Samuel  Adams  was  often  here,  with  the  inspiration  of  his  fiery 
zeal  and  his  incontrovertible  logic.  Warren  drew  up  the  regula- 
tions, and  Hancock  lent  his  encouraging  presence,  no  doubt  with 
a  good  subscription  to  the  funds.  To  this  old  Salutation  Inn  can 
be  traced  some  of  the  most  important  plans  and  committees  of 
that  eventful  period. 

The  sign  represented  two  men  in  ancient  dress  accosting  each 
other  with  great  formality,  "  bowing  and  cringing  to  each  other," 
and  so  they  were  called  the  "  Two  Palaverers."  The  tavern  and 
its  sign  have  gone;  but  the  alley  remains,  though  they  must  needs 
call  it  street,  since  nobody  in  Boston  to-day  is  willing  to  live  on  an 
alley. 

Of  course  this  whole  precinct  is  now  given  up  to  the  poor,  who 
know  nothing  of  the  history  of  the  houses  they  live  in  ;  but  the 
time  was  when  these  houses  were  occupied  by  their  owners,  who 
were  among  the  most  respectable  and  influential  people  in  the 
town.  Their  homes  were  as  neatly  kept  and  as  truly  attractive  as 
are  the  more  costly  and  luxurious  ones  of  their  prosperous  descen- 
dants at  the  West  End  to-day.  Indeed  Salutation  Alley  had  some 
advantages  of  which  even  Commonwealth  Avenue  cannot  boast. 
Each  house  here  had  its  own  individual  features,  and  did  not  lose. 


Salutation  Alley.  273 

its  identity  by  being  one  of  a  long  block.  It  had  a  garden,  too,  in 
front  or  behind,  or  often  on  one  side,  in  which  case  the  house 
was  built  facing  the  garden  and  not  the  street,  and  the  entrance 
was  frequently  through  an  arbor  of  grape-vines  or  under  a  trel- 
lis of  morning-glories;  while  the  tall  sunflowers,  hollyhocks,  and 
poppies  would  stand  sentry  in  their  gay  colors,  and  receive  the 
stranger  with  becoming  dignity  and  grace. 

The  quaint  little  house  sketched  in  the  above  cut  is  one  of  the 
two  or  three  oldest  houses  now  standing  in  Boston.  The  rear  is 
even  more  venerable  in  appearance  than  the  front.  It  is  known 
to  some  of  the  present  generation  as  the  old  home  —  cunabula 
gentis  —  of  Nathaniel  Greenwood  and  his  interesting  family. 
Three  daughters  were  married  here  in  one  year  (1802)  and  a 
fourth  soon  after,  namely,  —  Eunice  to  Isaac  Harris,  Rebecca 
Snelling  to  Robert  Lash,  Jr.,  Elizabeth  to  Daniel  Taylor  Lewis, 
and  Priscilla  to  Elisha  Wild. 

The  house  adjoining  was  Captain  John  Lambert's,  and  the  one 
beyond  that  (now  raised  to  four  stories)  was  the  home  of  Robert 
Lash,  Jr.,  the  well-known  teller  of  the  Boston  Bank  for  more  than 
sixty  years.  He  was  the  son  of  Robert  Lash,  ship-carpenter  and 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  was  baptized  on  the  day  of  his  birth, 
in  1779,  by  John  Eliot  He  attended  the  North  Grammar  School, 
and  received  one  of  the  Franklin  medals  the  first  year  they  were 
awarded.  He  was  a  deacon  of  the  New  North,  Secretary  of  the  Star 
Fire  Society,  of  the  Boston  Asylum  for  Indigent  Boys,  and  other 
benevolent  organizations.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  obtained 
high  honors,  receiving  a  silver  cup  for  his  services  as  grand 
commander  of  the  Boston  Encampment  of  Knights  Templars  at 
the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  Bunker  Hill  monument. 


274  Salutation  Alley. 

Mr.  Lash  was  a  courteous  and  hospitable  gentleman  of  the 
old  school.  He  had  a  well-developed  literary  taste,  and  was 
particularly  fond  of  the  English  classics.  During  the  long 
winter  evenings  he  was  accustomed  to  read  Shakspeare  aloud 
to  his  family.  He  used  to  say  that  Dickens  and  Thackeray 
could  not  compare  with  Oliver  Goldsmith. 

Over  the  gateway  of  his  house  was  a  fine  head  of  Julius  Caesar, 
carved  by  Simeon  Skilling.  The  parlor,  with  its  large  fireplace 
set  with  Scripture  tiles,  was  in  the  rear  of  the  house  on  the  sunny 
side,  overlooking  a  grass-garden,  which  extended  back  to  the 
Methodist  meeting-house.  The  neighbors  on  all  sides  could  often 
hear  the  services  there,  especially  when  the  eloquent  Maffit  was 
officiating.  The  crowd  that  gathered  to  hear  this  earnest  preacher 
was  sometimes  so  great  that  he  could  only  reach  his  pulpit  by 
going  around  through  Salutation  Alley  and  getting  in  at  the  back 
window,  as  was  the  case  with  Warren  at  the  Old  South  when  he 
delivered  his  second  oration  on  the  Boston  Massacre. 

This  was  the  first  regular  place  of  worship  for  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Boston,  and  was  located  in  Ingraham's  Yard,  afterward 
called  Methodist  Alley,  and  now  Hanover  Avenue.  It  was  a  plain 
wooden  structure,  thirty-six  by  forty-six  feet,  with  simple  benches 
for  pews,  and  galleries  on  three  sides.  The  dedication,  in  1796, 
was  an  act  of  faith  which  subsequent  years  more  than  realized. 
The  work  began  in  poverty  and  weakness,  but  went  on  with 
increasing  power. 

Salutation  Alley,  like  all  our  streets  in  those  days,  had  no  side- 
walks, —  indeed  there  is  no  room  for  any  to-day,  —  but  there  was 
a  gutter  running  through  the  middle,  like  those  still  seen  in  the 
mediaeval  towns  of  Europe.     The  houses  on  the  north  side  stood 


Salutation  Alley.  275 

back  in  their  gardens  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  and  they  were  never 
more  than  two  stories  and  a  half  high ;  so  that  the  alley,  narrow 
as  it  always  was,  did  not  present  that  crowded  appearance  which 
it  does  to-day.  Beside  the  families  already  mentioned,  there  were 
living  here,  early  in  the  century,  John  Day  Howard,  Dr.  Thayer, 
the  apothecary,  Cyrus  Buttrick,  Stephen  Rhoades,  Peter  Hemmen- 
way,  and  Nathaniel   Woodward. 

Grocery  stores  always  abounded  on  Hanover  Street  in  this 
vicinity,  where  the  travel  by  the  ferry  furnished  additional  pat- 
ronage. There  were  no  shops  for  the  sale  of  fish  at  the  North 
End  until  about  sixty  years  ago,  when  a  small  establishment  was 
built  on  the  site  of  the  present  Chelsea  Ferry  drop.  The  towns- 
people were  informed  of  this  by  a  man  who  perambulated  the 
streets  every  morning  with  a  tin  horn,  crying,  "  Fresh  cod,  haddock, 
and  mackereel,  at  the  head  of  the  ferry-ways!  Fresh  and  new, 
come  in  this  morning  !  "  Large  codfish  were  then  caught  from 
Charlestown  bridge,  as  well  as  flounders  and  perch,  and  even 
bluefish  and  tautog.  Oyster  men  usually  appeared  in  the  evening, 
carrying  their  heavy  burden,  in  the  shell,  on  their  shoulders  in  a 
kind  of  saddle-bag,  crying,  "  Oys  !  Finey  Oys  !  Buy  any  Oys  ?  " 
They  opened  the  bivalves  at  the  purchaser's  door,  throwing  the 
shells  into  another  part  of  the  bag.  Hand-carts  were  afterward 
introduced,  and  were  found  a  great  convenience.  Many  people 
declare  that  they  have  never  had  such  delicious  oysters  as  those 
that  were  sold  in  this  way.  The  first  cooked  oysters  in  Boston 
were  sold  by  Peter  B.  Brigham  under  Concert  Hall  at  the  head  of 
Hanover  Street.  The  business  proved  so  remunerative  that  its 
enterprising  founder  became  a  millionnaire. 

Many  families  were  supplied  with  milk,  at  that  time,  from  the 


276 


The  Old  Chelsea   Ferry. 


famous  Williams  farm  at  Noddle's  Island,  now  called  East  Boston, 
where  in  1823  there  was  but  one  dwelling-house.  Mr.  King,  the 
tenant,  kept  about  thirty  cows ;  and  every  morning  he  and  his  man 
rowed  over  to  the  ferry-ways  with  two  dory-loads  of  milk  in  wooden 
kegs,  holding  about  a  gallon  each.  These  they  would  carry  around 
in  wheelbarrows  to  sell  at  private  houses.  I 

The  Chelsea  Ferry  service  at  that  time  consisted  of  two  sail- 
boats, one  of  which  was  commanded  by  "Uncle  Jeff"  Williams. 
The  landing  was  a  long  inclined  plank  way,  which  was  covered 
with  water  at  high  tide,  and  consequently  very  slippery  when  the 
tide  was  out.  It  was  no  unusual  thing  for  persons  to  lose  their 
foothold  and  slide  off  into  the  water.  In  the  case  of  a  head  wind 
and  contrary  tide  nearly  two  hours  would  sometimes  be  required 
to  make  the  passage. 


^^^-^^ 


*=> 


-plot  in 

I 

being  pulle 

In    i 
11,  who 
•etween    th 

astern  &  fWrWW* 


afterward    sol<! 


« 


FLEET    STREET, 


CARLET'S  WHARF  LANE,  or  "the  street  leading 
from  Williams's  Corner,  nigh  Mr.  Jonas  Clarke's,  east- 
erly down  to  the  sea  by  Scarlet's  Wharf,"  received 
its  official  name  of  Fleet  Street  in  1708.  The  name 
was  probably  borrowed  from  the  familiar  thoroughfare  in  London, 
and  perhaps  was  meant  to  be  significant  of  the  relative  importance 
of  this  convenient  highway,  connecting  the  most  densely  settled 
part  of  the  town  with  the  principal  wharves  and  ship-yards. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  street  was  widened  about  one  third  on  the 
northern  side,  to  accommodate  the  travel  to  the  Eastern  Railroad 
Ferry.  Several  of  the  older  houses  had  to  be  sacrificed,  but  there 
were  two  which  stood  together,  well  back  from  the  line,  with  a 
grass-plot  in  front,  directly  opposite  Moon  Street.  As  these  have 
been  conspicuous  objects  in  Fleet  Street  down  to  the  present  year, 
they  are  drawn  in  the  accompanying  sketch,  although  they  are  just 
being  pulled  down  to  make  room  for  a  new  block. 

This  was  the  property  of  Edward  Langdon,  deacon  of  the  Old 
North,  and  of  his  son,  John  Langdon.  It  was  then  but  one  house, 
with  two  stories.  In  1792  it  was  sold  to  Elisha  Bangs  and  Wil- 
liam Cordwell,  who  divided  the 
estate    between    them,     Bangs 


£&/&< 


taking  the  eastern  end,  which    &&&'&CS  / O  0*T&S 

was    afterward    sold     to     Joab 


2«2 


Fleet   Street. 


(popularly  called  Job)  Hunt,  ship -joiner,  who  made  extensive 
changes  in  its  appearance.  Mr.  Hunt  was  a  stout,  genial,  high- 
minded  man,  and  much  respected  for  his  sterling  qualities.  His 
daughter,  Harriot  K.  Hunt,  M.D.,  encouraged  by  her  friend  Mrs. 
Mott,  took  up  the  study  of  medicine,  and  had  an  extensive  practice 
in  Boston  for  nearly  forty  years.* 

In  the  second  house  below  this  lived  one  of  the  best-known 
Boston  pilots,  Matthew  Hunt,  —  a  strong,  square-built  man,  calm 
and  resolute,  a  born  leader  and  a  great  favorite  with  sea-faring  men. 
For  more  than  half  a  century  he  was  a  prominent  figure  at  the 
North  End.  He  was  often  selected  to  take  charge  of  new  vessels 
on  their  first  voyage  out  of  the  harbor;  and  ships  of  war,  outward 
bound  from  the  Navy  Yard,  were  usually  intrusted  to  him.  His 
own  pilot-boat,  for  a  long  time,  was  the  "  Hornet,"  a  fine  craft  of 
fifty-three  tons,  contemporary  with  the  "  Wasp,"  the  "  Spy,1'  the 
"  Favorite,"  the  "  Boston,"  and  others. 

Among  Captain  Hunt's  associates  in  the  pilot  service  were 
Lovell,  Saunders,  Gurney,  Sullivan,  Ayres,  Lakin,  Stubbs,  Nash, 
Parsons,  Oliver,  Swett,  Bruce,  Baker,  Coombs,  Vincent,  Knox, 
Fowler,    Burt,    Hayden,    Tewksbury,    McField,    Dolliver,    Martin, 


*  She  has  given  an  interesting  account  of  her  life  and  times  in  a  book  entitled  "Glances  and 
Glimpses,"  in  which,  referring  to  the  scenes  of  her  early  home,  she  says  :  "  The  quaint  streets  and 
houses  and  gardens  have  been  gliding  by  in  phantasmal  procession  ;  now  come  other  revered 
forms,  —  I  know  them  all! — Cordwell,  Howard,  Stanwood,  Rogers,  Barnard,  Dickinson,  Harris, 
Bray,  Smith,  Lash,  Goodwin,  Palfrey,  King,  and  many  more,  —  they  are  nearly  all  gone.  A  bless- 
ing rest  on  their  descendants,  and  may  they  prove  worthy  their  North  End  origin  !  I  am  proud 
of  mine.  ...  I  am  thankful  for  the  freshness  and  the  life  I  drew  from  those  morning  walks  with 
my  father  on  the  wharves,  and  through  the  ancient  streets  and  pleasant  gardens  of  that  old  North 
End  he  loved  !  It  was  in  that  Fleet  Street  home  my  sister  and  myself  grew  up  to  youth.  .  .  . 
Time  has  never  weakened  my  love  for  the  North  End.  There  is  a  fascination  now,  at  fifty,  in  living 
over  in  memory  those  years,  that  childhood,  that  home,  associated  with  those  ancient  streets  and 
wharves." 


Fleet   Street.  283 

Phillips,  Tremere,  and  Wilson.  Several  of  these  pilots  lived  in 
or  near  Fleet  Street.  The  last-mentioned,  Captain  John  Wilson, 
occupied  for  many  years  the  house  partly  seen  in  the  picture  on 
the  extreme  left.  He  was  a  typical  Boston  pilot,  of  sturdy  frame, 
keen  intellect,  clever  wit,  and  honest  heart.  He  lived  to  be  eighty- 
seven  years  of  age,  and  left  a  large  family  of  children. 

A  row  of  brick  houses  formerly  stood  in  this  part  of  Fleet 
Street,  built  by  Edward  Hutchinson,  the  Governor's  uncle.  Just 
above  them,  where  a  stable  now  stands,  was  a  large  three-story 
brick  mansion,  of  some  note  in  the  last  century  as  the  residence, 
for  a  few  years,  of  Commodore  Samuel  Tucker,  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary Navy.  The  house  had  a  spacious  front  yard,  and  a  cupola, 
commanding  a  fine  view  over  the  bay.  A  curious  feature  within 
was  a  small  secret  staircase  near  the  chimney,  which  was  discov- 
ered by  Joshua  Ellis,  who  afterward  had  possession  of  the  place. 

The  brave  Commodore,  who  had  captured  an  incredible  number 
of  prizes  at  sea,  and  become  both  famous  and  rich  thereby,  set  up 
his  establishment  here,  and  dispensed  a  lavish  hospitality.  He  was 
a  fine-looking  man,  and  naturally  conspicuous  in  the  gay  society  of 
that  period,  dressed  in  his  naval  uniform  of  blue  and  scarlet.  He 
was  generous  to  a  fault,  as  sailors  are  apt  to  be,  and  easily  imposed 
upon  by  the  friends  who  gathered  about  him.  Old  shipmates  and 
others  were  continually  borrowing  his  money,  and  of  course  never 
able  to  return  it.  The  result  was  that  in  six  years  this  hero  of 
many  battles  had  to  strike  his  flag  and  seek  a  home  elsewhere.  It 
was  hard  for  such  a  man  to  be  conquered  in  such  a  way,  but  he 
made  the  best  of  it,  and  retired  first  to  Marblehead,  his  birthplace, 
and  then  to  a  farm  in  Bristol  (now  Bremen),  Maine,  where  for  forty 
years  he  followed  the  example  of  Cincinnatus,  and  doubtless  found 


284  Fleet  Street. 

more  real  enjoyment  at  the  plough  than  he  ever  obtained  in  his 
luxurious  and  extravagant  home  in  Fleet  Street.  He  received  the 
thanks  of  Congress  for  his  gallant  services  in  the  war,  and  was 
honored  by  his  fellow-townsmen  with  important  public  positions. 
At  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1833,  he  was  said  to  be  the  highest 
surviving  officer  of  the  Revolution,  with  the  exception  of  Lafayette, 
who  died  the  next  year. 

Opposite  Garden  Court  was  "  a  very  handsome  house,"  which 
had  belonged  to  Captain  Henry  Atkins,  selectman,  and  which 
afterward  came  into  the  possession  of  John  White,  the  wealthy 
baker,  whose  daughter  married  Redford  Webster,  the  well-known 
apothecary,  who  lived  here  many  years.  The  family  name  was 
borne  by  his  son,  Professor  John  White  Webster,  of  Harvard 
College. 

The  first  Industrial  School  for  girls  in  Boston  was  established 
in  an  old  house  next  to  Dr.  Webster's,  long  since  removed.  Mrs. 
Webster  and  Mrs.  Joab  Hunt  were  especially  interested  in  it. 
Several  private  schools,  called  sometimes  academies,  were  kept  in 
this  vicinity  seventy-five  years  ago, — one  by  Hannah  and  Elizabeth 
Brown,  and  another  by  Mary  Dobell  on  the  grounds  of  the  Gov- 
ernor Hutchinson  estate.  This  famous  property,  which,  together 
with  the  Clark-Frankland  estate,  occupied  the  whole  area  between 
Garden  Court  and  Hanover  Street,  underwent  an  entire  change  in 
1832-34,  and  there  is  now  no  trace  left  of  its  former  glory.  Hap- 
pily, however,  we  have  tolerably  full  accounts  of  the  appearance 
and  furnishing  of  both  these  houses,  with  views  which  are  con- 
sidered fairly  accurate. 

Opposite  to  the  Frankland  estate,  on  the  west  side  of  Middle 
(Hanover)    Street,    lived    Deacon    John    Atwood,    a    man    whose 


Fleet  Street.  285 

upright  and  benevolent  character  entitles  him  to  lasting  remem- 
brance. He  was  a  grandson  of  William  Copp,  and  was  born  in 
1647.  His  titles  were  cordwainer,  lieutenant  (in  the  Artillery 
Company),  captain,  and  deacon  (of  the  North  Church  for  twenty- 
one  years).  His  well-known  interest  in  the  wants  of  the  poor 
made  him  the  almoner  of  much  private  bounty.  "  Pious  souls 
deposited  their  alms  "  with  him  for  distribution  as  he  thought  best. 
A  beautiful  and  touching  proof  of  this  genuine  Christian  charity 
prevalent  in  his  time  is  the  well-authenticated  fact  that,  for  ten 
years,  every  fall  the  sum  of  twenty  pounds  was  brought  to  his 
door  by  an  unknown  hand  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  to  be 
distributed  among  the  needy.*  The  preaching  of  the  Mathers 
certainly  produced  good  fruit  among  their  parishioners  at  the 
North  End.  Unfortunately  most  of  it,  being,  according  to  the 
Scripture  injunction,  unrecorded,  has  been  forgotten,  while  the  few 
cases  of  the  hanging  of  witches  have  been  trumpeted  the  world 
over. 

Early  in  the  last  century,  John  Frisell  (Frizell),  a  wealthy  mer- 
chant, owned  a  large  part  of  the  land  between  Garden  Court  (or 
Frizell's  Lane,  as  it  was  sometimes  called)  and  Moon  Street,  and 
built  his  own  residence  upon  it,  near  the  corner,  and  also  a  row  of 
brick  houses  still  standing  on  the  south  side  of  Fleet  Street.  He 
was  a  courteous   gentleman,  a  devout   Christian,  and   one  of  the 

*  The  Rev.  John  Barnard  described  Deacon  Atwood  as  "  a  Man  in  whom  the  Truth  and  Sin- 
cerity of  Religion  shone  with  a  Peculiar  Luster  :  a  Devout  Man  full  of  Faith  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  Exemplary  in  the  Exercise  of  many  Particular  Graces.  A  Man  Conscientious  and 
Careful  in  his  whole  carriage  towards  his  Neighbours ;  Just  even  to  the  Criticalest  Exactness ;  His 
Word  might  be  depended  on  ;  and  his  Fidelity  was  Immovable." 

The  good  Deacon  died  in  17 14.  His  son,  John  Atwood,  removed  to  Haverhill,  where  his 
descendants  are  well  known.  One  of  them  was  Harriet  (Atwood)  Newell,  the  youthful  missionary 
martyr. 


286  Fleet  Street. 

most  generous  benefactors  of  his  time,  giving  frequently  hundreds 
of  pounds  in  charity,  not  only  for  worthy  objects  in  Boston  and 
throughout  the  Province,  but  for  those  of  distant  lands.  The 
City  of  Glasgow  sent  him,  unsolicited,  the  honorary  titles  of 
Esquire,  Burgess,  and  Guild  Brother.  He  was  one  of  the  few 
men  who  kept  a  carriage  ;  and  the  first  brick  stable  in  Boston 
was  the  one  he  built  on  Moon  Street,  afterward  purchased  by  Sir 
Harry  Frankland.  North  Square  was  often  called,  after  him, 
Frizell  Square.  He  gave  the  New  North  Church  its  bell,  which 
was  used  from  1719  till  1802.  At  his  death,  in  1723,  he  bequeathed 
a  large  communion  flagon  to  the  Second  Church.  His  widow, 
Dorothy  Frizell,  afterward  gave  another,  besides  one  to  the  New 
Brick  Church. 

On  the  north  corner  of  Fleet  and  Ship  Streets,  near  Scarlet's 
Wharf,  Major  Thomas  Savage  had  his  house  and  garden  in  the 
early  years  of  the  Colony.  He  was  a  man  of  note,  and  the  foun- 
der of  the  Savage  family  of  New  England.  After  his  death,  in 
1682,  the  King's  Head  Inn  was  located  here.  It  was  burnt  in 
1 69 1,  but  rebuilt  of  wood,  and  continued  a  large  and  flourishing 
hostelry  until  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  when  it  was  con- 
verted into  barracks  for  the  Marines,  and  then  taken  down  for  fuel. 
Joseph  Austin  bought  the  site  of  the  heirs  of  Thomas  Lee,  and 
established  here  his  large  bakery,  which  is  well  remembered  by  old 
North-enders. 

Among  the  residents  of  Fleet  Street,  besides  those  already  men- 
tioned, many  persons  will  recall  the  names  of  Henry  Fowle,  Martin 
Bates,  Benjamin  Dodd,  Thomas  J.  Goodwin,  William  P.  Green- 
wood, Captain  Thomas  Rogers,  Benjamin  I.  Leeds,  Abraham  Low, 
Moses  Miller,  Captain  Benjamin  Wayne,  Thomas  Badger,  William 


Fleet  Street.  287 

Nash,  Benjamin  Abrahams,  William  Parkman,  and  Captain  Josiah 
Barnard.  Otis  Norcross,  the  late  Mayor  of  Boston,  was  born  in 
one  of  the  Frizell  houses,  which  were  used  by  British  naval 
officers  during  the  siege. 

Martin  Bates  was  a  genuine  North-ender, — a  bright  example  of 
what  energy  and  purpose  can  accomplish  when  allied  with  other 
qualities  of  a  high  order.  In  his  earlier  business  life  he  occupied 
the  old  Frizell  mansion,  next  to  the  Spragues,  on  Fleet  Street,  with 
a  garden  in  front.  At  this  time  he  was  a  practical  hatter,  with  a 
small  old-fashioned  shop  on  the  drawbridge  in  Fore  Street.  By 
his  ability  and  courtesy  he  secured  the  patronage  of  most  of  the 
dons  of  the  town,  who  appreciated  the  excellence  of  his  work,  and 
encouraged  him  in  his  plans  of  enlargement.  He  subsequently 
went  into  the  fur  trade  with  the  Astors  of  New  York,  and  became 
one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Bates  was  a  man  of  quiet  dignity  and  self-possession,  indus- 
trious, persevering,  generous ;  fond  of  his  home  and  proud  of  his 
children.  Most  of  his  Fleet-Street  contemporaries  have  passed 
on ;  but  there  are  a  few,  yet  living  in  other  parts  of  the  city,  who 
have  much  to  say  of  him  as  a  neighbor  and  friend  both  here  and 
in  Bennet  Street,  where  he  afterward  lived  many  years. 

In  the  brick  block,  built  on  the  Hanover-Street  side  of  Gov- 
ernor Hutchinson's  garden,  lived  Edmund  Smith,  Nathan  Carruth, 
Valentine  Simmons,  William  R.  Carnes,  Dr.  Joseph  C.  Ayer,  and 
the    Rev.  Chandler  Robbins. 

In  Moon  Street,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Roman  Catholic 
school,  lived  the  Rev.  Samuel  Mather  in  a  large  wooden  lean-to. 
His  brother-in-law,  Governor  Hutchinson,  took  refuge  here  on  the 
night  of  August  26,  1765,  when  his  house  in  Garden  Court  was 


288 


Fleet  Street. 


sacked  by  the  mob.  On  the  corner  of  Sun  Court  stood,  until 
within  a  few  years,  one  of  the  most  primitive-looking  houses  in 
Boston,  with  a  prodigious  chimney,  an  over-hanging  second  story, 
diamond-shaped  window-lights,  and  a  quaint  outside  staircase.  In 
the  annexed  cut  we  have  a  peep  through  a  gateway  leading  to  the 
old  house  of  the  Milk  family,  once  a  fine  residence,  but  now  given 
up  to  a  poor  class  of  foreigners. 


M00N/p 


ODDS   AND   ENDS, 


EW  contrasts  in  architecture  are  more  striking  than 
that  which  is  seen  in  North  Street,  opposite  Sun 
Court,  where,  under  the  shadow  of  lofty  modern  ware- 
houses, stands  a  wizened  little  two-story  gambrel-roof 
house,  built  soon  after  "the  Great  Fire"  of  1676.  It  is  sadly 
wrinkled  by  age,  scarred  by  hard  usage,  and  disjointed  by  an 
earthquake  of  the  last  century.  This  forlorn  waif  would  have 
been  removed  fifty  years  ago,  when  an  effort  was  made  to  extend 
Prince  Street  through  to  the  water,  but  legal  obstacles  prevented. 
It  has  been  for  about  a  hundred  years  in  the  hands  of  the  Ellis 
family.  A  tenant's  sign  over  the  door  informs  the  impecunious 
stranger  that  lodgings  may  now  be  had  here  for  ten  cents. 

At  No.  362  North  Street,  near  the  old  North  Battery,  may  be 
seen  a  narrow  section  of  an  ancient  three-story  brick  house,  cut 
off  in  i860  when  the  street  was  widened.  It  is  of  the  early  Eng- 
lish-bond period ;  and  on  account  of  its  small,  oval-shaped  windows, 
resembling  port-holes  (now  bricked  up,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
accompanying  sketch),  it  has  given  rise  to  the  theory  that  it  was 
built  for  a  garrison  house.  Such  windows,  however,  were  not 
uncommon  in  substantial  dwellings  and  even  in  churches  of  the 
period,  both  in  this  country  and  in  England.  The  Cradock  house 
at  Medford  is  an  example. 


294  The  Ship   Tavern. 


THE    SHIP    TAVERN. 

About  twenty  years  ago,  Boston  lost  one  of  its  most  interesting 
landmarks  by  the  removal  of  the  old  Ship  Tavern  on  the  southerly 
corner  of  Ship  (North)  and  Clark  Streets.  .  This  famous  "ordinary" 
was  built  as  a  private  residence,  about  1647,  by  the  celebrated 
Captain  Thomas  Hawkins,  who  owned  a  large  area  between  Han- 
over Street  and  the  water.  He  lost  his  life  at  sea  the  following 
year,  and  upon  the  division  of  the  estate  soon  after  we  find  John 
Viall,  the  vintner,  established  here  under  the  sign  of  Noah's  Ark. 
It  was  a  frequent  rendezvous  of  the  royal  commissioners  sent  out 
by  Charles  II.  to  settle  certain  questions  which  were  agitating  the 
Colony.  Clothed  with  such  power,  the  commissioners,  instead  of 
seeking  to  allay  the  existing  bitterness,  only  increased  it  by  their 
arrogance.  One  of  their  number,  Sir  Robert  Carr,  at  a  gathering 
in  this  tavern,  so  far  forgot  himself  as  violently  to  assault  a  con- 
stable of  the  town.  Upon  a  demand  of  the  Governor  for  his 
appearance  to  answer  for  the  offence,  Carr,  in  a  written  reply, 
coolly  declined  to  acknowledge  his  jurisdiction.  Another  warrant 
was  issued,  and  again  he  refused  to  obey  the  summons.  The  affair 
created  a  stir  in  the  Council,  and  other  measures  were  taken  to 
secure  the  arrest,  but  apparently  without  effect.  The  tavern 
afterward  passed  into  the  Hutchinson  family,  and  was  last 
known  as  the  James  estate.  It  was  originally  two  stories  high, 
and  built  of  English  brick,  laid  with  shell  and  clay  mortar. 
There  was  an  old  crack  in  the  front  wall,  said  to  have  been 
caused  by  an  earthquake  in   1663,  "  which  made  all  New  England 


The  North- End  Coffee- House.  295 

tremble."  The  quaint  projecting  eaves  and  dormer  windows  are 
well  remembered. 

On  the  corner  of  Ship  Street  and  White  Bread  Alley  lived 
Major  John  Ruddock,  selectman  and  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  a 
zealous  Whig.  He  was  the  largest  man  in  Boston,  weighing, 
it  is  said,  over  four  hundred  pounds.  At  his  death,  in  1772,  con- 
siderable difficulty  was  experienced  in  entombing  him  at  Copp's 
Hill,  where  an  elaborate  inscription  in  his  honor  may  be  seen. 
His  family  has  long  been  extinct. 

Near  the  Ship  Tavern  lived  Thomas  Berry,  who  married  Grace, 
daughter  of  Major  John  Hayman,  ropemaker.  Her  gravestone  is 
frequently  pointed  out  at  Copp's  Hill,  and  has  perplexed  many,  on 
account  of  its  date,  1625  ;  but  it  was  originally  1695,  and  was  pur- 
posely mutilated  by  some  unknown  ghoul  who  easily  converted  the 
u  9"  into  a  "  2,"  as  can  be  seen  in  the  drawing  at  the  beginning  of 
this  chapter.  The  stone  is  a  well-preserved  specimen  of  old  Welsh 
slate,  and  the  carving  is  very  distinct.  No  arms  are  quartered 
upon  the  shield.  The  holes  seen  on  the  face  of  the  stone  are 
credited  to  British  bullets.  Copp's  Hill  furnished  many  con- 
venient targets  for  idle  guns  during  the  siege. 


THE    NORTH-END    COFFEE-HOUSE. 

Between  Fleet  Street  and  Sun  Court,  on  the  west  side  of  Fish 
(North)  Street,  and  near  the  head  of  Hancock's  Wharf,  stood 
an  imposing  three-story  brick  mansion  built  and  occupied  by 
Edward  Hutchinson,  brother  of  the  Governor.  At  the  close  of 
the  Revolution  it  was  known  as  the  North-End  Coffee-House,  a 
first-class  establishment,  kept  by  Captain  David  Porter,  grandfather 


296  The   North- End  Coffee-House. 

of  Admiral  Porter.  Afterward  it  became  the  residence  of  Jona- 
than Amory,  who  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  John  May,  a  brave 
and  enterprising  man,  who  had  a  hand  in  the  memorable  tea 
business,  and  who  served  as  Major  of  the  Boston  regiment  of 
militia  in  a  division  of  the  army  under  Rochambeau,  in  Rhode 
Island.  In  1788  and  1789  he  made  journeys  to  "the  Ohio 
country/'  where  he  owned  land,  and  built  the  first  frame-house 
near  the  present  site  of  Marietta.  Maysville,  Ohio,  was  named 
for  him.  He  was  a  selectman  and  a  fire  ward  of  Boston,  and 
owned  May's  Wharf.  Four  fire-buckets  and  his  wardens  staff 
always  hung  in  the  front  hall,  ready  for  instant  use.  At  his 
funeral  wine  was  passed,  according  to  the  old  custom  not  then 
extinct.  One  of  his  descendants,  a  young  girl  at  the  time, 
remembers  wishing  it  were  cake. 

Colonel  May's  residence  subsequently  became  the  Mariner's 
House,  under  the  direction  of  the  Boston  Port  Society.  A  fourth 
story  was  added  to  the  building.  The  top  was  flat  and  leaded.  It 
served  as  a  capital  outlook  and  promenade,  being  well  protected 
bv  a  railing  all  around.  The  house  stood  some  distance  back 
from  the  street,  and  was  approached  through  an  arched  iron 
gateway  by  a  flight  of  broad  stone  steps.  A  wide  hall  extended 
through  the  centre,  opening  into  a  spacious  yard  in  the  rear.  The 
rooms  were  very  large,  the  walls  were  panelled,  and  the  windows 
recessed  with  broad,  low  mahogany  seats.  The  tiling  around  the 
fireplaces  was  varied  in  shape  and  color  Most  of  the  materials 
for  the  interior  were  brought  from  England.  On  the  day  of  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the  house  was  used  as  a  hospital;  and  many 
of  the  wounded  were  placed  on  the  long  dining-room  table  for 
amputation.     As  long  as  the  house  stood,  the    blood-stains  were 


A  North -End  Family.  297 

distinctly  seen  on  the  floor.  In  the  upper  story,  a  door  was 
discovered  in  a  panelled  closet,  which  was  found  to  connect  by  a 
secret  passage-way  with  several  rooms,  and  by  a  dark,  narrow  stair- 
case with  the  ground-floor.  A  similar  contrivance  in  Commodore 
Tucker's  house,  on  Fleet  Street,  has  been  already  noticed.  The 
May  estate  afterward  passed  into  the  hands  of  Amos  Binney. 


A    NORTH-END    FAMILY. 

At  the  head  of  Hancock's  Wharf,  nearly  opposite  Fleet  Street, 
a  humble  home  was  established  in  the  last  century  which  proved 
to  be  the  cradle  of  an  illustrious  house.  Among  the  British 
soldiers  sent  over  to  Boston  was  a  young  Scotchman  named 
McKean,  in  whose  heart  the  love  of  liberty  was  too  strong  for 
any  long-continued  adhesion  to  the  crown.  He  instinctively 
imbibed  the  sentiments  of  the  people  among  whom  he  was 
thrown,  and  soon  availed  himself  of  an  opportunity  to  desert 
from  the  army.  With  the  aid  of  friends  he  managed  to  conceal 
himself  till  the  British  left,  and  then  he  set  up  in  his  trade  as 
a  tobacconist.  His  niece,  Agnes  McKean,  came  over  from 
Glasgow  and  kept  house  for  him  until  his  marriage.  He  was 
very  enterprising  and  successful  in  his  business,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  respected  and  wealthy  men  of  the  North  End. 
One  of  his  daughters  married  a  prominent  citizen  and  lived  in 
Charter  Street.  Another,  being  an  invalid,  remained  at  home, 
where  the  influence  of  her  refined  and  gentle  nature  was  deeply 
felt.  The  only  son,  Joseph,  was  settled  in  the  ministry  at 
Milton,  and  afterward  became   the   Boylston   Professor  of   Rhet- 


298  A   North- End  Family. 

oric  in  Harvard  College.  Professor  McKean  had  three  sons, 
William,  Henry,  and  George,  all  graduates  of  Harvard.  One 
of  his  daughters  married  Dr.  Worcester,  author  of  the  Diction- 
ary. Another  married  Charles  Folsom,  successively  librarian  at 
Harvard  and  at  the  Boston  Athenaeum. 

The  little  home  on  Fish  Street,  where  honest  William  McKean, 
the  founder  of  this  family,  lived,  bore  outwardly  the  plainest  as- 
pect. The  front  was  wholly  taken  up  by  the  shop,  through 
which  was  the  only  access  to  the  room  which  served  as  sitting- 
room,  parlor,  and  dining-room,  and  from  which  the  stairs  led 
up  directly  to  the  chambers,  as  they  did  in  many  a  New  Eng- 
land house  at  that  day.  The  furniture  was  of  the  most  ancient 
type.  Everything  was  kept  with  the  most  scrupulous  neatness; 
and  the  whole  place,  small  as  it  was,  had  an  air  of  good  old- 
fashioned  comfort,  because  it  was  always  lighted  by  genuine 
Scotch  kindness  and  hospitality. 

The  McKean  family  worshipped  at  the  New  North  Church, 
where  their  pew  was  in  front  of  Deacon  Simpkins's.  The  Dea- 
con and  Master  Tileston  were  the  last  of  the  congregation  to  wear 
wigs.  Tileston's  was  a  full-bottomed  white  wig ;  the  Deacon's 
a  snug,  dark-gray  tie.  On  one  occasion,  when  a  contribution 
had  been  taken,  the  Deacon  was  ascending  the  narrow  pulpit 
stairs  to  give  the  minister  a  chance  to  contribute,  when  unfortu- 
nately he  stumbled  and  spilt  the  contents  of  the  box  over  the 
floor,  and  knocked  his  wig  very  much  awry.  The  gravity  of 
the  congregation  was  severely  tested,  and  the  situation  continued 
critical  while  the  poor  man  proceeded  to  gather  up  the  scattered 
treasure  and  readjust  his  wig.  Dr.  (then  Mr.)  Parkman,  who 
had  a  keen  sense  of  the  ridiculous,  and  who  caught  a  bird's-eye 


The  New  North  Church.  299 

view  of   the  affair,  could  scarcely  command  himself  to  give  the 
benediction. 


THE    NEW    NORTH    CHURCH. 

The  New  North  Church  dates  from  1 714,  when  a  small 
wooden  edifice  was  built  at  the  corner  of  Hanover  and  Clark 
Streets.  This  was  enlarged  in  1730,  so  that  it  was  said  to  con- 
tain more  seats  than  any  other  place  of  worship  in  town.  That 
building  remained  until  1802.  It  had  two  rows  of  galleries, 
which  were  always  occupied.  The  pulpit  was  on  the  north 
side,  about  twelve  feet  from  the  wall.  In  front  was  the  elders' 
seat ;  in  front  of  that,  the  deacons' ;  and  then  came  the  "  long 
seats "  on  each  side  of  the  broad  aisle,  —  one  side  for  men,  the 
other  for  women.  Pews  were  arranged  against  the  wall,  all 
around  the  house,  even  behind  the  pulpit.  On  the  removal  of 
this  building,  a  brick  structure  took  its  place  in  1804,  and  has 
remained,  with  some  changes,  to  the  present  day.  It  was 
modelled  after  one  of  the  Renaissance  churches  of  Rome,  and 
was  considered  a  great  advance  upon  the  early  style  of  New 
England  architecture. 

The  ministry  of  this  church  in  the  order  of  succession  has 
been  as  follows:  John  Webb,  1  714-1750;  Peter  Thacher,  1 723  — 
1739;  Andrew  Eliot,  1 742-1 778;  John  Eliot,  1 779-1 81 3;  Francis 
Parkman,  1813-1849;  Amos  Smith,  1842-1848;  Joshua  Young, 
1849-1852;  Arthur  B.  Fuller,  1853-1858;  Robert  C.  Water- 
ston,  1859-1861;  William  R.  Alger,  1863.  The  New  North 
sold  its  edifice  to  the  Roman  Catholics  and  united  with  the 
Bulfinch  Street  Church,  and  soon  after  became  extinct. 


300  Clark  Street. 


CLARK    STREET. 

Clark  Street,  which  has  borne  various  names  in  its  history, 
was  formerly  one  of  the  most  desirable  places  of  residence  in 
Boston.  Colonel  Thomas  Hutchinson,  in  his  early  life,  lived 
on  the  corner,  and  built  several  fine  brick  houses  adjoining,  for 
members  of  his  family.  These  houses  are  still  standing.  The 
wooden  mansion  beyond  (No.  23)  was  the  home  of  the  Rev. 
Oliver  Everett,  who  afterward  removed  to  Dorchester,  where  his 
son,  Edward  Everett,  was  born.  The  entrance  was  in  a  garden 
on  the  east  side,  where  the  large  stone  steps  are  still  in  place, 
though  the  door  itself  and  many  other  old  features  of  the  house 
have  been  sadly  changed.  The  staircase  was  a  remarkably  fine 
piece  of  carving.  A  portion  of  it  has  been  rescued  from  de- 
struction, and  is  now  in  a  house  at  Manchester-by-the-Sea  for 
safe-keeping.  The  carved  oak  balusters  show  the  character  of 
the  interior  finish ;  and  the  newel-post,  with  its  double  twist  and 
gradually  diminishing  spiral,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  carving  preserved  among  us. 

Directly  opposite,  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  in  a  house  still 
standing,  lived  Mrs.  Everett's  grandfather,  Alexander  Hill,  the 
only  parent  she  ever  knew.  Other  well-known  residents  of  Clark 
Street  were  Gedney  King,  Captain  Niles  C.  Bangs,  Captain 
Samuel  Nichols,  Ephraim  Milton,  John  L.  Jennison,  Samuel 
Armstrong,  Captain  William  Farnham,  George  Fracker,  Jabez 
and  Nathaniel  Fisher,  Captain  Parks,  George  Perry,  Joseph 
Dolbeare,  and  John   W.  James. 


Chimney -Sweeps.  301 

CHIMNEY-SWEEPS. 

Hardly  any  feature  of  our  modern  houses  differs  more  from 
those  of  our  fathers  than  the  chimney.  We  are  content  with 
narrow  flues  that  require  as  little  space  as  possible ;  while  they 
appropriated  to  the  chimney  a  large  share  of  the  house-room. 
Indeed,  an  old-fashioned  chimney  might  almost  be  called  a  house 
within  a  house,  so  capacious  was  it,  with  all  its  adjuncts  of  fire- 
place, chimney-corner,  broad  hearth,  and  brick  oven. 

From  the  early  settlement  of  Boston,  so  much  danger  was 
encountered  from  chimneys  being  on  fire  that  a  fine  of  ten 
shillings  was  imposed  on  those  who  allowed  "  their  chimneys  to 
take  fire  so  as  to  blaze  out."  Complaints  were  made  that 
chimney-sweeping  had  been  "  performed  by  unfaithful  slaves " 
who  neglected  their  duty ;  and  the  matter  was  referred  to  the 
selectmen,  who  appointed  persons  "  to  sweepe  chimneyes,  and  to 
cry  aboutt  streetes  that  they  may  bee  knowne."  Their  wages 
were  fixed  at  eight  pence  for  a  common  chimney,  and  a  shilling 
for  one  of  three  stories. 

Many  persons  can  remember  the  negro  sweeps  who  used  to 
go  about  with  grimy  blankets  over  their  shoulders,  crying  out 
"  Sweep,  o'  sweep ! "  in  a  plaintive  melody  peculiar  to  the  African. 
On  entering  a  house  to  undertake  a  job  they  would  hang  up  the 
blanket  before  the  fireplace  to  prevent  a  draft,  using  ordinarily 
the  old  steel  forks  with  two  prongs  to  fasten  it  with.  Then 
they  would  ascend  by  bracing  their  knees  against  the  walls  of 
the  chimney,  scraping  off  the  soot  as  they  went  up.  They 
always  seemed  glad  to  reach  the  top  and  get  the  air  and  light, 
for  they  would   rest   there  awhile,  peeping  out   their  heads,  and 


302 


Ch  im  ney-Sweeps. 


indulging  in  some  of  their  familiar  songs,  which  the  occupants 
of  the  house  were  not  unwilling  to  hear.  Descending  through 
the  chimney  they  collected  the  soot  in  the  blanket  and  gathered 
the  corners  together,  and  went  off  with  a  load  on  their  backs 
often  as  large  as  a  feather-bed.  Sambo  was  a  marked  figure  on 
the  street  and  a  terror  to  little  children,  enveloped  as  he  was  in 
so  much  blackness,  and  apparently  delighting  to  reveal  the  white 
of  his  eyes  and  the  broad  rows  of  his  pearly  teeth,  which  only 
made  the  rest  of  him  darker  still.  Certainly  there  was  much 
that  was  picturesque  in  the  old-fashioned  chimney-sweep. 


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ANDVICINITY 

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NORTH    SQUARE. 


T  is  no  easy  matter  for  a  stranger  to  find  this  ancient 
spot,  once  so  famous  in  the  history  of  Boston.  No 
horse-car  goes  by  it.  No  view  can  be  had  of  it  from 
any  of  our  principal  streets.  No  notice  is  taken  of 
it  on  many  of  our  recent  maps.  And,  beside,  it  is  no  square  at 
all,  and  never  was,  but  only  a  narrow  triangle,  not  as  wide,  even 
in  its  widest  part,  as  some  of  our  modern  streets.  Few  persons  of 
this  generation,  living  in  other  parts  of  the  city,  have  ever  been 
here.  It  is,  to  be  sure,  no  longer  attractive  in  its  appearance  or 
surroundings.  Long  ago  the  whole  locality  was  given  up  to  cheap 
tenements  and  sailor  boarding-houses,  almost  every  one  of  which 
was  flanked  by  a  drinking-saloon.  When  the  friends  of  the 
"  North  End  Mission  "  sought  to  plant  their  benevolent  enter- 
prise where  it  was  most  needed,  they  came  to  Ann  Street,  and 
secured  a  building  within  stone's  throw  of  this  Square.  Their 
well-directed  efforts,  together  with  the  vigorous  measures  of  the 
city  government  and  the  co-operation  of  an  efficient  police,  —  and, 
it  might  be  added,  the  introduction  of  electric  lights,  —  have,  to 
a  certain  extent,  removed  the  stigma  which  rested  too  long  upon 
this  time-honored   ward. 

The  best  way  to  approach   North   Square  is  to  follow  the  old 
marginal  Ann  (now  North)  Street  until  it  bears  away  to  the  right, 


308  The   Old  North   Church. 

along  the  old  shore-line.  At  this  point,  instead  of  turning,  one 
has  only  to  keep  straight  on  a  few  steps  through  a  narrow  opening, 
—  formerly  known  as  Mountfort's  Corner,  —  and  he  will  find  him- 
self, before  he  knows  it,  in  the  old  Square.  The  transition  is  very 
marked  from  the  noisy  business  street,  filled  with  rattling  teams, 
left  behind,  to  this  sleepy  and  untraversed  precinct,  where  the 
grass  grows  on  the  old  cobble-stone  pavement. 

It  is  not  unlike  a  market-place,  on  an  off  day,  in  some  provincial 
town  in  England.  In  fact,  this  was  the  old  market-place  of  the 
North  End ;  and  it  has  preserved  its  character  uncommonly  well, 
although  the  traffic  has  gone  elsewhere. 

The  first  great  event  connected  with  the  Square,  in  which  we 
are  specially  interested,  was  the  establishment  here  of  the  Second 
Church  in  Boston,  in  1650.  For  sixty-four  years  this  was  the 
only  church  at  the  North  End  except  the  Baptist.  The  "  New 
Meeting-house,"  or  "  North  Meeting-house,"  as  it  was  also  called, 
was  built  of  wood,  and  stood  at  the  top  of  the  gentle  slope  about 
half  way  between  Mountfort's  Corner  and  Fleet  Street,  occupying 
most  of  the  space  between  Moon  Street  and  Garden  Court  where 
they  enter  the  Square.  All  the  streets  meeting  here  were  laid  out 
with  reference  to  the  new  church,  around  which  some  of  the  best 
houses  in  the  town  were  soon  built. 

It  is  significant  of  the  custom  of  the  times  that  the  first  year 
after  the  planting  of  this  church,  John  Vyall  was  allowed  to  keep 
a  house  of  entertainment,  provided  he  kept  it  near  the  New 
Meeting-house.  We  do  not  know  how  this  sacred  edifice  looked. 
Unfortunately,  no  description  of  it  has  come  down  to  us.  Proba- 
bly it  was  a  plain,  square  building,  not  very  large,  with  the  usual 


The  Old  North   Church.  309 

high  pulpit  and  wall  pews.  We  know  that  some  of  these  pews 
had  private  doors  connecting  with  the  street.  Ladders  hung  on 
the  outside  for  use  in  case  of  fire,  branded  with  the  town  mark. 
Whoever  took  one  away  for  any  other  purpose  was  liable  to  a 
fine  of  twenty  shillings.  The  attendance  at  public  worship  was 
large,  embracing,  indeed,  the  whole  community  in  this  part  of  the 
town.  The  customary  rules  of  order  prevailed,  and  persons  were 
appointed  to  look  after  the  behavior  of  the  children.* 

This  building  was  burned  "  to  ashes "  during  the  ministry  of 
Increase  Mather,  in  the  great  fire  of  1676,  which  swept  away  all 
the  houses  in  the  vicinity.  The  following  year  it  was  rebuilt  of 
wood,  with  a  rather  low  belfry  on  the  north  side.  The  position 
and  relative  size  of  this  structure,  which  stood  for  a  century,  are 
given  on  the  plan  of  North  Square  accompanying  this  work.  It 
was  provided  with  a  bell  and  a  clock.  The  bell  was  rung  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  one  o'clock,  —  the  hour  for  closing  the 
market,  —  and  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  town's  powder 
was  stored  here  for  a  long  time.  An  engine-house  was  built  on 
the  northwest  side,  and  a  watch-house  near  by. 

No  small  part  of  the  history  of  Boston  is  connected  with  this 
ancient  church.  It  became,  from  the  very  beginning,  a  stronghold 
of  liberty,  renowned  throughout  New  England.  The  preaching  of 
the  Mathers  during  their  long  pastorates  had  a  powerful  influence 

*  The  following  is  an  official  order,  issued  in  1666,  to  John  Dawes,  who  had  for  several  years 
been  appointed  "to  oversee  the  youth:"  "  You  are  hereby  impoured  to  take  care  of  the  Youth 
and  such  persons  att  the  new  metting  house,  that  are  disorderly  in  the  time  of  God  sollem.  worship, 
to  compell  such  as  ar  without  doors  to  goe  into  the  metting  house  &  such  as  ar  disorderly  within 
with  a  small  wand  to  correct  them,  &  in  case  of  contempt.  You  are  to  take  such  prsons  names, 
&  by  the  helpe  and  assistance  of  the  Counstable  to  bring  them  befor  Authority  that  they  may  be 
delt  with  according  to  the  demerritt  the  day  following,  this  order  signed  the  21  :  2:  66.  by  ye 
Gouernor  &  lie :  Vsher  in  the  name  of  the  Select  men." 


310  The   Old  North   Church. 

in  moulding  the  opinions  of  the  people.  All  the  great  questions 
of  the  time,  political  as  well  as  theological,  were  searchingly 
handled  in  the  pulpit,  and  abundantly  illumined  by  quotations 
from  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.  We  can  imagine  the  throngs 
of  people,  from  the  highest  ranks  of  wealth  and  fashion  to  the 
humblest  mechanic,  assembling  here  every  Lords  Day  to  listen  to 
the  teachings  of  these  learned  and  revered  men. 

When  the  New  North  Church  was  organized,  in  17 14,  this  older 
church  was  called,  by  way  of  distinction,  the  Old  North,  —  a  name 
which  it  retained  as  long  as  it  had  an  existence,  and  under  this 
name  it  has  passed  into  history.  The  ministers  who  were  settled 
over  the  church  on  this  spot  were  as  follows:  John  Mayo,  1655— 
1673;  Increase  Mather,  1664-1723;  Cotton  Mather,  1685-1728; 
Joshua  Gee,  1723-1748;  Samuel  Mather,  1732-1741;  Samuel 
Checkley,  Jr.,  1 747-1 768;  John  Lathrop,  1 768-1 775.  After  the 
19th  of  April,  1775,  the  services  in  most  of  the  Boston  churches, 
including  the  Old  North,  were  discontinued  in  consequence  of  the 
departure  of  so  many  of  the  townspeople  and  their  ministers.  In 
December  of  that  year,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the  winter  and 
the  scarcity  of  fuel,  General  Howe  issued  an  order  for  the  demoli- 
tion of  the  Old  North  and  one  hundred  of  the  older  wooden  build- 
ings in  the  town.  This  measure  was  deemed  the  more  urgent,  as 
several  transports  were  about  to  sail  for  England  with  the  sick,  and 
had  to  be  supplied  with  fuel.  Another  reason  has  been  alleged  by 
old  North-enders  for  the  destruction  of  the  meeting-house.  They 
say  that  the  space  was  needed  for  military  purposes.  There  was 
no  place  short  of  the  Common  where  the  troops  could  be  properly 
drilled.  Large  numbers  of  them  were  quartered  in  and  around 
North  Square,  and  by  the  removal  of    this  edifice  they  obtained 


North    Square,  3 1 1 

a  good  parade-ground  extending  from  Mountfort's  Corner  through 
to  Fleet  Street. 

The  Old  North  was  n.ever  again  rebuilt.  The  venerable  sanc- 
tuary, which  had  been  "considered  a  model  of  the  first  architecture 
of  New  England,"  and  which  had  become  endeared  to  three  gen- 
erations of  her  sons,  was  one  of  the  many  costly  sacrifices  made 
to  the  Revolutionary  War.  On  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the 
British  in  March,  1776,  Mr.  Lathrop  and  his  scattered  parishioners 
were  invited  to  worship  with  the  New  Brick  Church,  on  Hanover 
Street,  whose  membership  had  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  war, 
and  whose  pastor,  Dr.  Pemberton,  was  already  quite  feeble  from 
age.  The  result  was  a  formal  union,  effected  between  the  two 
churches  in  1779,  under  the  corporate  name  of  the  Second  Church, 
with  Mr.  Lathrop  as  the  pastor. 

The  land  on  which  the  Old  North  had  stood  was  sold  for  ^210, 
under  a  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  in  1786,  by  John  Tudor, 
Samuel  Ridgway,  and  William  Bell,  deacons  of  the  Second  Church, 
to  their  minister,  Dr.  Lathrop,  who  built  for  himself  a  fine  resi- 
dence here.  Presents  of  money  to  aid  in  its  erection  were  given 
him  by  numerous  friends,  among  whom  were  Deacon  Tudor, 
Deacon  Ridgway,  Gibbs  Atkins,  Isaac  White,  and  Deacon  Hender- 
son. It  was  a  large,  square,  frame  house  of  three  stories,  painted 
white,  or  cream  color,  with  green  blinds.  A  well-kept  grass-plot, 
with  the  usual  fence,  separated  it  from  the  Square,  and  the  entrance 
was  through  a  generous  porch.  The  roof  was  flat  and  protected 
by  a  balustrade,  like  many  of  the  stately  dwellings  immediately 
about  it.  The  family  used  to  sit  there  on  summer  evenings  to 
enjoy  the  cool  breezes  and  the  extensive  view.  In  the  front  yard 
was  a  row  of  poplars,  and  a  large  weeping-willow  on  the  Moon- 


3 1 2  North    Square. 

Street  corner.  These  were  ail  blown  clown  in  the  September  gale 
of  1 815,  when  many  trees  on  the  Common  and  several  of  the 
Paddock  elms  were  also  destroyed.  On  the  death  of  Dr.  Lathrop,* 
in  1 8 16,  the  estate  was  sold  to  Daniel  Dickinson.  A  block  of 
brick  houses  now  occupies  the  ancient  site. 

In  the  early  time  this  Square  was  called  Clarke's  Square,  after 
Major  Thomas  Clarke,  a  wealthy  merchant,  who  owned  consider- 
able land  immediately  about  the  old  meeting-house,  and  who  lived 
in  a  large  brick  house  enclosed  by  a  brick  wall.  His  daughter 
Elizabeth  married  Elisha  Hutchinson,  the  grandfather  of  the  gov- 
ernor. Later  on,  Clarke's  Square  was  known  as  Frizell's  Square, 
after  John  Frizell,  who  bought  a  portion  of  Clarke's  land  in  the 
rear  of  the  meeting-house  and  built  several  houses  upon  it.  For 
the  past  hundred  years  North  Square  has  been  the  accepted  name, 
and  it  would  seem  likely  now  to  continue,  though  of  that  there  is 
no  certainty. 

Among  the  prominent  names  of  early  residents  here  may  be 
mentioned  Thomas  Joy,  Isaac  Cullimer  (Collamore),  Richard  Raw- 
lins, Anthony  Checkley,  Bartholomew  Barnard,  Richard  Martyn, 
Captain  Edward  Martyn,  Robert  Howard,  Captain  James  Pitts, 
Moses  Pierce,  John  Farnum,  Jeremiah  Condy,  Captain  John  Sun- 
derland, John  Parker,  Jonathan  Rainsford,  Daniel  Turine,  Henry 
Cooley,  Peter  Gee,  Deacon  John  Barnard,  and  the  Mountforts 
and  Holyokes.  The  Martyns  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  Square, 
where  the  Mariners'  House  now  stands.  They  were  large  land- 
holders.   There  is  a  stone  at  Copp's  Hill  bearing  the  Martyn  arms. 

*  There  are  two  good  portraits  of  Dr.  Lathrop,  —  one,  by  Stuart,  in  England,  in  the  posses- 
sion of  John  Lothrop  Motley's  daughter,  Mrs.  Harcourt ;  and  the  other,  by  Williams,  belonging  to 
John  Lathrop,  Esq.,  of  Boston. 


The  Hichborn  House. 


313 


At  the  entrance  to  North  Square,  opposite  Mountfort's  Corner, 
is  the  well-known  Hichborn  house,  an  ancient  three-story  brick 
dwelling,  shown  in  the  accompanying  picture,  with  the  character- 
istic belts  and  panelled  chimneys  such  as  we  have  already  noticed 
in  houses  of  the  same  age.  It  was  built  in  171 1,  or  soon  after,  by 
Moses  Pierce,  glazier,  who  bought  the  land  of  his  mother,  who 
inherited  it  from  her  father,  John  Jeffs,  mariner.  In  1747  Pierce 
sold  it  to  William  Shepard,  gentleman,  who  in  1781  conveyed  it  to 
Nathaniel  Hitchborn,  boat-builder,  son  of  Deacon  Thomas #  and 
Isannah  (Fadree)  Hitchborn.  Isannah  Fadree  was  of  French 
parentage,  and  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  first  players  on  the 
harpsichord  in  America.  Benjamin  Hichborn  (H.  C.  1768),  the 
eminent  patriot  and  orator  and  Colonel  of  the  Cadets,  was  a 
brother  of  Nathaniel,  and  lived  at  Dorchester  in  the  old  Governor 
Oliver  House,  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Walter  Baker.  A  sister,  Fran- 
ces, married  General  John  Glover.  Nathaniel  sold  the  house  in 
1805  to  his  son,  Samuel  Hichborn,  sailmaker,  who  lived  here  many 
years.  His  four  daughters  were  married  to  H.  K.  Loring,  Isaac 
Thacher,  John  J.  Swift,  and  Elisha  D.  Winslow.  Their  mother, 
soon  after  she  became  a  bride,  was  invited  to  play  cards  one  even- 
ing at  Paul  Reveres,  and  was  his  partner  at  whist;  but  being 
young  and  shy  she  naturally  made  some  mistakes,  which  irritated 
the  old  gentleman  so  that  she  never  dared  to  play  with  him  again. 
She  was  always  proud  of  a  silver  teapot,  a  wedding  gift,  made  by 
Revere. 

*  Deacon  Thomas  Hitchborn  was  the  third  in  descent  from  the  first  Thomas,  who  is  recognized 
as  the  ancestor  of  all  the  Hichborns  in  the  country.  Among  his  descendants  are  many  who  bear 
the  names  of  Curtis,  Goold,  Greeley,  Cook,  Fernald,  Cordwell,  Crocker,  Lee,  Stevens,  Stevenson, 
Bruce,  Cunningham,  Fosdick,  Revere,  Jackson,  Hamlin,  Greenough,  Blight,  Gray,  Lincoln,  Robb, 
Douglas,  Merritt,  and  other  families  well  known  in  Boston. 


3 1 4  North    Square. 

The  next  estate  south  of  the  Hichborns  once  belonged  to 
Francis  Shaw,  the  ancestor  of  the  well-known  Boston  family  of 
Shaws.  Next  above  the  Hichborn  house  stood,  until  recently, 
an  old  wooden  dwelling  almost  exactly  like  Revere's,  which  joined 
it.  This  was  the  residence  of  Commodore  Downes,  and  previ- 
ously of  the  Barnard  family.  Captain  John  Barnard  (born  1746, 
married  Mary  Lowell),  when  in  command  of  an  American  vessel 
(Dec.  12,  1778),  was  overtaken  by  a  British  man-of-war,  and  shot 
dead  by  one  of  its  officers  on  his  own  quarter-deck  after  he  had 
surrendered.  For  this  cowardly  act  the  officer  was  subsequently 
tried  by  court-martial  at  New  Orleans,  and  hung  at  the  yard-arm 
of  his  own  vessel. 

The  Seamen's  Bethel,  on  the  corner  of  Sun  Court,  is  associated 
with  the  life  of  Father  Taylor,  whose  original  and  vigorous  elo- 
quence attracted  multitudes  of  sailors,  and  in  many  cases  helped 
them  to  lead  a  better  life.  He  lived  in  the  brick  house  on  the 
west  corner  of  Garden  Court.  The  old  town  pump  near  the 
Bethel,  and  the  shade-trees  that  once  lined  the  Square,  have  now 
disappeared. 


PAUL   REVERE'S   HOUSE. 


T  is  fortunate  that,  amid  all  the  changes  that  have  taken 
place  in  North  Square,  this  interesting  house  (Nos. 
19-21)  has  been  spared  to  us.  Nearly  all  of  its  old- 
time  neighbors  have  gone,  and  other  buildings  have 
taken  their  place  ;  but  this  quaint  and  genuine  relic  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  seems  to  be  endowed  with  exceptional  longevity,  as 
if  the  memory  of  former  days  had  clung  to  its  walls  and  forbidden 
their  destruction. 

The  house  was  built  soon  after  the  great  fire  of  1676.  Its 
predecessor  on  the  same  spot  was  the  parsonage  of  the  Second 
Church,  bought  for  the  use  of  Increase  Mather  by  the  trustees,*  in 
1670,  of  Anthony  Checkley,  who  had  built  it  on  land  purchased  of 
Bartholomew  Barnard  and  Richard  Martyn.  Mather  had  accumu- 
lated here  a  fine  library,  numbering  over  a  thousand  volumes,  most 
of  which  were  saved  from  the  fire.  To  repair  the  loss  of  those 
that  were  burned  he  was  generously  requested  by  Madam  Bridget 
Hoar  to  take  such  books  as  he  pleased  from  the  library  of  her 
deceased  husband,  Leonard  Hoar,  who  had  been  president  of 
Harvard   College. 

*  The  names  of  the  trustees  were  Sir  Thomas  Temple,  Kt.  and  Baronet,  Captain  Thomas 
Clarke,  Captain  Thomas  Lake,  Captain  Richard  Walker,  Mr.  John  Richards,  Mr.  Thomas  Kel- 
lond,  Mr.  John  Treake,  and  Lt.  Richard  Way. 


320  Paul  Revere  s  House. 

The  present  building,  like  those  that  formerly  stood  on  either 
side  of  it,  and  like  many  others  of  its  time  in  different  parts  of 
the  town,  was  constructed  on  the  then  favorite  Dutch  plan,  with 
an  overhanging  second  story.  It  has  naturally  undergone  some 
changes  in  the  course  of  its  long  life.  Instead  of  four  chamber 
windows  in  a  row,  there  were  originally  three  ;  and  instead  of  three 
front  entrances,  there  was  but  one.  The  present  unsightly  shop 
leaves  little  trace  of  the  quiet  colonial  parlor  which  it  has  invaded. 
The  interior  has  been  remodelled  several  times,  although  the 
kitchen  seems  to  have  been  left  very  much  as  it  was. 

The  first  person  to  occupy  this  house  for  any  length  of  time  was 
Robert  Howard,  who  bought  it  in  1681  of  Daniel  Turell  and 
Thomas  Walker.  Howard's  daughter,  Sarah  Wyborne,  sold  it  in 
1 741  to  Captain  Andrew  Knox,  who  mortgaged  it  to  John  Erving. 
In  consequence  of  the  non-payment  of  dues,  Erving  took  posses- 
sion in  1763,  and  held  it  as  a  tenement  till  1770,  when  he  sold  it 
to  Paul  Revere  for  ^213  6s.  8d.,  taking  a  mortgage  of  ^160,  which 
was  redeemed  in  good  time.  It  is  possible  that  Revere  lived  here 
some  years  before  he  bought  the  house.  We  know  that  he  lived 
here  thirty  years  after  he  bought  it,  and  then  moved  into  the  larger 
house  which  he  purchased  in  Charter  Street  Jonathan  Merry 
bought  the  old  place  in  1800,  and  sold  it  again  soon  after  to 
John  Loring,  whose  family  have  held  it  until  recently.  For  many 
years  it  was  known  among  seamen  as  a  well-kept  American 
boarding-house,  patronized  largely  by  men  from  the  Cape,  who  in 
so  many  instances  became  captains  of  the  best  ships  sailing  out 
of  Boston. 

The  chief  interest  connected  with  this  ancient  house  is  the  fact 
that  during    the  most  eventful  period   in   our  history  it  was  the 


Paul  Reveres  House.  321 

residence  of  the  distinguished  patriot  whose  achievements  in  the 
cause  of  liberty  are  so  widely  known.  Paul  Revere  was  born  in 
Boston,  Dec.  21,  1734  O.S.  His  father,  whose  original  name  was 
Apollos  Rivoire,  belonged  to  a  Huguenot  family  living  in  the 
Island  of  Guernsey,  to  which  they  had  fled  from  St.  Foy,  in 
France,  on  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  Coming  to 
this  country  at  an  early  age  to  seek  his  fortune,  the  young  Apollos 
selected  Boston  as  his  home,  and  established  himself  in  the  gold- 
smith's trade.  He  soon  found  it  convenient  to  change  his  name 
from  Apollos  to  Paul ;  and  gradually,  in  common  use,  Rivoire 
was  shortened  into  Revere,  the  two  names  being  used  inter- 
changeably for  several  years.  He  was  married,  June  19,  1729,  by 
Joseph  Sewall  to  Deborah  Hitchborn,  and  had  several  children. 
The  son  Paul  was  brought  up  at  his  father's  trade,  to  which  he 
added  considerable  military  experience,  serving,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  as  second  lieutenant  of  artillery  under  Colonel  Gridley, 
at  Crown  Point,  and  remaining  on  duty  at  the  fortifications  around 
Lake  George  for  nearly  a  year.  In  1757  he  married  Sarah  Orne, 
who  died  in  April,  1773,  leaving  six  children.  The  same  year,  on 
the  nth  of  October,  he  was  married  by  Samuel  Mather  to  Rachel 
Walker,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children. 

Before  moving  into  North  Square  the  family  lived  on  Fish 
Street,  near  the  head  of  Dr.  Clarke's  wharf,  where  Revere  carried 
on  his  business  as  goldsmith  and  engraver,  adding  at  one  time  the 
practice  of  dentistry,  —  so  far  at  least  as  to  make  and  set  artificial 
teeth,  then  a  new  invention,  which  he  had  learned  of  one  John 
Baker,  who  is  supposed  to  be  the  first  surgeon  dentist  who  ever 
practised  in  Boston.  Revere  made  a  large  number  of  gold  and 
silver  cases  for  Copley's  miniatures,  and  designed  almost  all  the 


322  Paul  Reveres  House. 

solid  wooden  frames  that  we  see  around  the  large  Copley  portraits, 
preserved  with  such  care  in  New  England  families  to-day. 

Revere  had  the  good  fortune  to  come  upon  the  stage  of  action 
just  at  the  time  when  the  controversy  with  the  mother  country 
demanded  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  at  the  hand  of  every  true 
patriot;  and  he  stood  ready  to  throw  himself  into  the  conflict  with 
all  the  resources  of  his  ardent  and  versatile  nature.  It  only  needed 
such  utterances  as  those  of  Otis  and  Thacher  in  '61  to  fire  the 
hearts  of  the  young  men  of  Boston  with  a  determined  purpose  to 
resist,  at  whatever  cost,  the  oppressive  measures  of  the  British 
ministry.  In  the  clubs  which  were  organized  to  give  expression 
to  this  feeling,  Reveres  influence  was  felt  from  the  first.  His 
strong  will,  positive  opinions,  and  ready  wit  made  him  a  leader, 
especially  among  the  mechanics  who  knew  him  well.  He  seemed 
to  delight  in  great  emergencies,  and  he  was  always  quick  to  catch 
the  striking  features  of  the  hour.  We  are  indebted  to  him  for  the 
only  illustrations  that  exist  of  many  of  the  exciting  events  that 
preceded  the  outbreak  of  hostilities.  His  technical  training  in  the 
goldsmiths  art  had  given  him  an  acquaintance  with  important 
scientific  principles,  which  he  cleverly  applied  to  the  service  of  his 
country.  His  bold  attempts  at  copperplate  engraving  are  rude 
enough,  to  be  sure ;  but  they  were  considered  good  at  the  time,  and 
were  vastly  better  than  nothing.  His  keen  sense  of  humor  found 
congenial  employment  in  the  caricatures  of  political  events  which 
issued  frequently  from  his  shop  and  obtained  a  wide  popularity. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  Boston  Massacre  would  have  been  far 
less  exact  but  for  Reveres  well-known  engraving,  together  with  his 
plan  of  the  scene  in  King  Street,  which  was  used  in  court  at  the 
trials  that  followed.     The  first  anniversary  of   the  Massacre  was 


Paul  Revere  s  House. 


323 


a  day  of  profound  solemnity  in  Boston.  All  the  bells  in  town 
were  muffled  and  tolled.  Early  in  the  evening  a  crowd  assembled 
in  North  Square,  in  front  of  Revere's  house,  to  see  the  transparent 
paintings  which  he  had  prepared,  illustrating  the  event.  There 
were  then  three  windows  in  the  second  story.  In  the  one  on  the 
right  sat  the  genius  of  America,  holding  in  her  left  hand  the  cap 
of  liberty  erect  on  a  staff,  and  trampling  under  foot  a  grenadier 
who  was  grasping  a  serpent,  the  emblem  of  tyranny.  With  her 
right  hand  she  pointed  to  the  massacre,  which  was  vividly  portrayed 
in  the  middle  window.  The  remaining  transparency  contained  an 
obelisk,  bearing  in  front  the  bust  of  young  Snider,  and  on  the 
pedestal  the  names  of  the  five  persons  who  were  killed  in  the 
tragedy.  Snider's  ghost  was  finely  drawn  in  the  background,  with 
a  group  of  friends  standing  near  by  weeping.  The  effect  of  this 
exhibition  upon  the  spectators  is  said  to  have  been  deep  and  last- 
ing. The  old  house  was  probably  never  looked  at  so  intently  and 
by  so  many  eyes  as  on  that  memorable  evening. 

In  all  the  patriotic  movements  that  followed  in  such  rapid  suc- 
cession, Revere  was  a  conspicuous  figure.  Of  course  he  was 
among  the  Mohawks  at  the  Tea  Party;  and  we  can  well  believe 
that  no  one  of  that  famous  company  was  ahead  of  him,  either  in 
planning  or  in  executing  such  a  superb  coup  de  main.  And  no 
sooner  were  the  chests  emptied  into  the  sea  than  he  started  off  on 
horseback  to  carry  the  news  to  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  The 
grass  certainly  did  not  grow  under  his  feet.  The  following  May 
he  rode  again  an  express  to  Philadelphia,  with  the  votes  of  Boston 
concerning  the  Port  Act,  accomplishing  the  distance  in  six  days. 
In  September  he  went  again,  to  carry  the  Suffolk  Resolves  to  the 
Continental  Congress ;  and  again,  still  later,  to  learn  how  to  make 


324  Paul  Revere  s  House. 

gunpowder.  Horsemanship  was  a  necessary  accomplishment  for 
an  active  man  in  those  days.  The  various  committees  of  corre- 
spondence were  continually  sending  messages  by  confidential 
couriers  in  advance  of  the  ordinary  post-riders.  Revere  was  just 
the  man  for  this  business.  It  suited  him  even  better  than  his 
trade.  His  courage,  agility,  and  tact  were  unsurpassed.  He  never 
betrayed  the  confidence  of  his  friends,  nor  blundered  in  the  execu- 
tion of  a  trust.  His  Lexington  ride,  immortalized  by  the  poet, 
will  always  be  considered  his  greatest  achievement,  though  it  was 
only  one  of  a  series  of  exploits,  some  of  which  were  more  arduous, 
and  many  of  which  were  equally  brilliant  and  successful. 

After  the  Evacuation,  Revere  was  appointed  Major,  and  after- 
ward Lieutenant-Colonel,  of  Crafts'  new  Regiment  of  Artillery, 
and  he  remained  in  the  service  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
accompanied  the  ill-starred  Penobscot  expedition,  but  was  never 
charged  with  any  responsibility  for  its  ignominious  failure,  as  he 
held  a  subordinate  command,  and  had  no  opportunity  to  show 
either  his  skill  or  his  courage. 

On  the  return  of  peace  the  soldier  resumed  his  craft  as  a  gold- 
smith, and  manufactured  a  great  number  of  articles,  especially 
silver-ware  for  table  use.  His  teapots,  pitchers,  tankards,  porrin- 
gers, sugar-bowls,  ladles,  and  spoons  all  bear  his  mark,  and  are 
highly  prized  as  heir-looms  in  many  New  England  families.  He 
soon  after  erected  an  air-furnace  near  Foster  Street,  where  he  cast 
church  bells,  brass  cannon,  and  all  kinds  of  iron  ware,  including 
stoves,  chimney-hearths,  anvils,  forge-hammers,  etc.  With  the 
rapid  growth  of  ship-building,  he  also  turned  his  attention  to  the 
manufacture  of  copper  sheathing,  bolts,  and  spikes,  for  which  there 
was  a  great  demand. 


Paul  Reveres  House.  325 

With  all  his  private  business,  Colonel  Revere  still  found  time  to 
attend  to  various  matters  of  public  importance.  He  presided  at 
the  meetings  in  the  Green  Dragon  Tavern  in  favor  of  the  new 
Constitution  in  1788,  and  was  generally  regarded  as  the  chief 
representative  of  the  mechanical  interests  of  the  State.  He  was 
chosen  the  first  president  of  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Me- 
chanics' Association  in  1795.  The  same  year,  at  the  request  of 
his  old  friend  Samuel  Adams,  then  governor,  he  laid  the  corner- 
stone of  the  new  State  House,  as  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Massachusetts.  Soon  after,  he  had  an  interesting  official 
correspondence  with  General  Washington,  which  has  been  pub- 
lished. In  1798  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  first 
successful  Fire  Insurance  Company  in  Boston,  organized  under 
the  name  of  the  Massachusetts  Mutual  Company.  He  was  also 
connected  with  many  useful  and  benevolent  institutions  which  did 
much  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  his  native  town. 

All  this  time  his  home  was  in  North  Square,  where  a  large 
family  of  children  had  grown  up  about  him.  With  all  his  industry 
and  enterprise,  he  never  outgrew  the  charm  of  domestic  life,*  but 
returned  to  it  with  increasing  pleasure  as  the  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities of  his  incessantly  active  life  crowded  upon  him.  He  had 
a  workshop  in  the  rear  of  his  house,  where  he  kept  a  set  of  tools 
at  which  he  could  work  at  odd  times;  his  regular  place  of  business, 

*  In  a  letter  to  his  wife  from  Rhode  Island,  in  1778,  Revere  wrote  as  follows  :  "  My  dear  Girl,  — 
Your  very  agreeable  letter  came  safe  to  hand.  .  .  .  Pray  take  care  of  yourself  and  my  little  ones. 
...  I  am  in  high  health  and  spirits  and  [so  is]  our  Army.  The  enemy  dare  not  show  their  heads. 
We  have  had  about  fifty  who  have  deserted  to  us,  Hessians  and  others.  ...  It  is  very  irksome  to 
be  separated  from  her  whom  I  so  tenderly  love,  and  from  my  little  lambs ;  but  were  I  at  home,  I 
should  want  to  be  here.  ...  I  trust  that  Allwise  Being  who  has  protected  me  will  still  protect  me 
and  send  me  safely  to  the  arms  of  her  whom  it  is  my  greatest  happiness  to  call  my  own.  .  .  .  My 
duty  to  my  aunts,  my  love  to  brothers  and  sisters,  my  most  affectionate  love  to  my  children." 


326 


Paid  Revere  s  House. 


after  the  Revolution,  being  in  old  Cornhill.  He  was  an  habitual 
attendant  at  the  New  Brick  Church,  as  his  father  had  been  before 
him.  There  was  a  private  passage-way  through  his  yard,  by  the 
old  pump,  leading  to  the  church.  There  are  persons  living  who 
remember  seeing  him  every  Sunday  in  his  pew  with  his  family. 
That  venerable  sanctuary  has  gone,  with  all  the  houses  immedi- 
ately about  it ;  but  this  time-worn  homestead  of  the  illustrious 
patriot  is  still  here  to  tell  us  a  little  longer  its  familiar  story,  which 
America  will  never  tire  of  hearing,  —  the  ever  fascinating  story  of 
the  grand  heroic  age  in  which  the  Republic  was  born. 


%Ja*u£  t^u^ejjt 


A    NOTED    BELL. 


Not  the  bell  of  the  First 
Church,  but,  as  the  inscription 
upon   it   reads, — 

"THE    FIRST  CHURCH     BELL   CAST    IN 
BOSTON,    1792,    BY    P.    REVERE." 

As  this  ancient  bell  is  still  in 
existence,  —  stored  in  this  city, — 
it  deserves  a  place,  with 
the  famous  weathercock, 
in  any  description  of  the 
New  Brick  Church  to 
which  they  both  be- 
longed, and  of  which 
they  are  almost  the  sole  survivors.  This  church  was  organized, 
in  1719,  by  the  u  aggrieved  brethren  "  of  the  New  North.  The 
building  committee  consisted  of  John  Frizell,  Thomas  Lee,  Jona- 
than Montford,  Alexander  Sears,  James  Tileston,  James  Pecker, 
and  Edward  Pell.  Captain  Pell  was  the  architect.  The  first 
choice  of  pews  was  given  to  John  Frizell  and  William  Clark,  "for 
their  good  will  and  great  benefactions  to  said  work."  The  new 
edifice  was  dedicated  in  1721.     The  clock,  given  at  the  same  time 


J 


28  A   Noted  Bell. 


by  Barret  Dyer,  remained  in  its  place  opposite  the  pulpit  a  hundred 
years,  when  it  was  replaced  by  a  new  one  presented  by  Deacon 
Samuel  Parkman. 

The  church  had  no  bell  until  1  743,  when  the  building  was  first 
painted.  That  bell,  being  a  small  one,  was  sold  in  1780,  and  in 
its  place  was  hung  the  larger  bell,  secured  from  the  Old  North 
when  that  structure  was  pulled  down  by  the  British.  This  bell 
being  injured  in  1792,  it  was  given  to  Colonel  Revere  to  be  recast 
at  his  new  foundry.  The  expenses  were  met  by  the  following 
subscription  list:  — 

"  Boston,  June  18,  1792.  Whereas  the  Bell  belonging  to  the  New  Brick  Society 
being  so  essentially  injured  as  to  require  its  being  cast  anew,  and  the  same  is  con- 
sidered of  public  utility  —  Therefore,  to  defray  the  expense  thereof,  we  severally 
agree  to  pay  the  sums  affixed  to  our  names  respectively  for  so  beneficial  [a] 
purpose,  and  he  that  does  not  pay  is  not  to  hear  the  sound  thereof." 

Signed,  John  Tudor,  Sam1  Ridgway,  William  Bell,  Thos  Hich- 
born,  Samuel  Parkman,  Wm  Sherburne,  Paul  Revere,  Russell 
Sturgis,  Enoch  James,  Joseph  Clark,  Isaac  White,  Lemuel 
Gardner,  Isaac  Townsend,  Willi™  Bordman  &  Son,  Willi'11  Wil- 
liams, Joseph  Howard,  Daniel  Merry,  Jona  Merry,  Ed\vd  Tyler, 
Joseph  Roby,  Sam1  Hichborn,  Elisha  Bangs,  Ebenr  Burditt, 
Ebenezer  Ridgway,  Tho"  Lewis,  Miles  Barnes,  Gibbes  Atkins, 
B.  Henderson,  Jn°  Coles,  Edmund  Hartt,  Ira  Green,  Sam1 
Howard,  Samuel  Sturgis,  Caleb  Wheaton,  John  W.  Folsom,  Sam1 
Austin,  Edward  Proctor. 

The  subscribers  contributed  sums  varying  from  six  shillings 
to    nine    pounds    each.       Some    of    their    autographs    are    here 


A    Noted  Bell  i2g 


+if 


^&>W^y<a>*rL4d 


vrt^wa-T^ 


C  ot+yut+w  O    crCou^T^ 


& C^^n^^J^T         V/?6t>^0^Cd 


<^= 


330  A    Noted  Bell. 

The  old  bell  weighed  five  hundred  pounds,  and  the  new  one  nine 
hundred  and  twelve.  The  whole  cost  of  recasting  and  enlarging 
it  was  ^"74  7 s.  Sd.  A  part  of  this  expense  came  from  "  chaise 
hire  "  to  Abington  "  several  times,"  to  get  men  and  implements  to 
aid  in  preparing  the  moulds  for  casting.  When  completed,  the 
bell  was  again  hung  in  its  place,  and  after  remaining  there  as  long 
as  the  brick  building  stood,  it  was  transferred,  in  1845,  to  tne  be- 
deck of  its  stone  successor,  which  in  1849  was  purchased  by  the 
Methodists,  and  used  by  them  until  1871,  when  all  the  buildings 
in  that  vicinity  had  to  be  removed  to  make  room  for  the  widening 
of  Hanover  Street. 

Few  bells  have  such  a  record  as  this.  It  has  hung  on  three  con- 
spicuous churches,  either  in  its  original  or  enlarged  form.  It  has 
summoned  six  generations  of  worshippers  to  the  sanctuary.  It 
has  tolled  for  the  dead,  and  awakened  the  living  from  their  morning 
slumbers.  It  has  opened  the  daily  market,  announced  the  hour 
for  lunch,  called  the  hungry  to  their  dinner,  and  the  weary  to  their 
beds.  It  has  broken  the  stillness  of  the  night  by  its  dread  alarm 
of  fire.  On  momentous  occasions  it  has  rallied  the  citizens  to 
meet  in  defence  of  liberty.  It  has  sounded  the  tocsin  of  war,  and 
rung  merrily  on  the  return  of  peace.  It  has  assisted  in  the  patri- 
otic celebrations  of  the  Fifth  of  March,  the  Seventeenth  of  June, 
and  the  Fourth  of  July.  Truly  such  an  active  and  faithful  partici- 
pant in  the  affairs  of  Boston  during  so  long  a  period  of  our  history 
deserves  a  place  among  the  famous  bells  of  the  world. 

Tradition  says  that  the  bell  of  the  original  North  Church  build- 
ing was  saved  in  the  fire  of  1676,  and  hung  in  a  temporary  belfry 
near  the  watch-house  at  the  head  of  North  Square  until  the  new 
meeting-house  was  completed.     This  circumstance  is  said  to  have 


A   Noted  Bell.  331 

given  the  name  of  "  Bell  Alley  "  to  the  old  narrow  passage-way, 
sometimes  called  "  Mutton  Alley,"  and  now,  since  1833,  widened 
and  known  as  New  Prince  Street.  If  this  was  the  bell  which 
Revere  recast,  its  connection  with  the  Colonial  period  would  add  to 
the  interest  of  the  relic  here  described,  which  is  also  remarkable 
as  being  the  first  of  a  large  number  of  church  bells  cast  in  Boston. 
Over  two  hundred  are  known  to  have  followed  from  Revere's 
foundry,  many  of  which  are  still  doing  service  all  over  New  Eng- 
land. One  of  them,  on  an  old  church  in  Maine,  has  tolled  for  the 
death  of  every  President  since  Washington. 

Although  the  New  Brick' Church  is  no  longer  in  existence,  yet 
this  brief  review  of  a  part  of  its  history  would  be  incomplete 
without  reference  to  its  long  and  eminent  line  of  ministers.  Of 
the  original  church  the  pastorates  were  as  follows :  William 
Waldron,  1722-1727;  William  Welsteed,  1728-1753;  Ellis  Gray, 
1 738—1753  ;  Ebenezer  Pemberton,  1 754—1 777. 

After  the  union  of  the  New  Brick  with  the  Second  (Old  North) 
Church  —  formally  consummated  under  the  name  of  the  Second 
Church  in  1779  —  the  pastorates  were:  John  Lathrop,  1 776-1816; 
Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  1817-1830;  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  1829- 
1832;  Chandler  Robbins,  1833-1849.  In  1849  the  Society  sold 
its  building  and  removed  to   Bedford  Street. 

The  changes  which  took  place  in  the  building  on  the  old  site, 
resulting  in  its  final  demolition,  have  been  already  described.  A 
stranger  passing  through  Hanover  Street  would  not  now  readily 
find  the  spot  so  long  consecrated  by  the  worship  of  the  fathers. 


AN   ANCIENT  WEATHERCOCK 


Another  and  still  more  famous 
relic  of  the  New  Brick  Church 
is  the  old  weathercock  which 
crowned  it  during  the  whole 
period  of  its  existence,  and  which, 
indeed,  gave  to  the  edifice  its 
popular  name  of  "  The  Cockerel 
Church."  No  object  in  Boston 
was  more  conspicuous  to  the 
townspeople,  or  to  the  mariner 
coming  into  port,  than  this  fa- 
miliar bird.  Standing  aloft  on  his  high  perch  day  and  night, 
summer  and  winter,  through  sunshine  and  storm  alike,  he  kept 
watch  and  ward  over  the  town  like  a  faithful  sentinel  for  a  hundred 
and  forty-eight  years. 


Roosted  upon  his  ancient  ball, 

Last  night,  sat  the  Old  North  *  cock. 

In  the  midst  of  a  terrible  northeast  squall 
Which  made  the  steeples  rock, 

And  waked  the  watchmen,  one  and  all, 
As  the  bell  tolled  twelve  o'clock. 


*  The  author  of  these  lines,  Dr.  William  Croswell,  writing  in  1830,  used  here  a  convenient, 
though  technically  incorrect,  term.  Properly  speaking,  the  name  of  Old  North  could  not  be 
applied  to  the  New  Brick  Church,  although  the  latter  inherited  from  the  former  its  corporate  name 
of  the  Second  Churcn  in  Boston.  As  referring,  however,  to  the  only  prominent  weathercock  at 
the  North  End,  the  term  "  old  North  cock  "  might  be  permissible. 


An  Ancient   Weathercock,  333 

With  head  erect  and  unruffled  form, 

The  hearty  and  tough  old  cock, 
Through  wind  and  rain,  and  cold  and  warm, 

All  weathers  continues  to  mock ; 
And  he  whisked  him  round  to  face  the  storm, 

And  breasted  himself  to  the  shock." 

This  renowned  crower  is  believed  to  have  been  made  in  1721  by 
Deacon  Shem  Drowne,  the  clever  coppersmith  and  tin-worker,  at 
his  shop  in  Ann  Street.  As  no  bill  of  expense  appears  among 
the  church  papers,  it  may  be  presumed  to  have  been  the  gift  of 
some  friend.  Its  design  is  supposed  to  have  had  an  unfriendly 
personal  reference  to  the  Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  of  the  New  North. 
However  that  may  be,  the  New  Brick  long  went  by  the  nickname 
of  the  "  Revenge  Church."  According  to  the  story,  the  cockerel 
was  made  out  of  old  brass  kettles,  skilfully  hammered  into  shape. 
His  weight  was  172  lbs.,  and  his  dimensions  about  5  ft.  4  in.  in 
height,  5  ft.  2  in.  in  breadth,  and  1  ft.  in  thickness.  When  first 
erected,  a  merry  fellow  straddled  him  and  crowed  three  times,  to 
complete  the  ceremony. 

Placed  in  such  an  exposed  position,  the  bird  has  naturally 
required  occasional  repairs.  He  was  taken  down  in  1785  by 
William  Cordwell,  and  gilded  by  Samuel  Harris,  Jr.  In  1823  he 
was  put  in  order  by  Almoran  Holmes,  and  furnished  with  a  pair 
of  glass  eyes  from  the  New  England  Glass  Company,  which  very 
much  improved  his  appearance.  He  was  then  transferred  to  a  new 
spire  on  the  same  building.  Again,  in  1832,  he  was  taken  down 
by  William  Barnicoat,  and  regilded  by  Robinson  &  Smith.  A 
steel  bearing  was  then  placed  within  the  vane  for  the  point  of  the 
shaft  to  turn  on.  When  the  old  building  gave  way  to  the  new 
one  in  1844,  the  cock  was  repaired  by  Henry  N.  Hooper  &  Co., 


334  An  Ancient   Weathercock. 

regilded  by  Vinal,  Eaton,  &  Orcutt,  and  mounted  upon  the  stone 
church  on  the  same  rod  upon  which  he  had  stood  from  the  begin- 
ning. In  1858  he  became  "spitted  "  by  the  yielding  of  the  rivets 
which  held  the  steel  bearing,  and  was  taken  down  for  the' fifth  and 
last  time,  to  be  mended,  gilded,  and  replaced  by  Clark  &  Brazier. 

After  this  he  remained  in  fine  health  and  spirits  until  early  one 
evening  in  September,  1869,  when  a  violent  gale  visited  our  city, 
causing  much  damage  to  buildings  and  shipping.  It  struck  this 
tall  steeple  so  that  it  bent  like  a  tree,  and  broke  from  the  tower, 
and  fell  to  the  ground  with  a  heavy  crash.  The  rooster  was  seen, 
just  before,  to  hop  about  in  great  distress,  turning  in  vain  for  relief 
toward  every  point  of  the  compass.  Finding  his  support  giving 
way,  he  parted  company  with  his  old  rod  and  flew  off  on  his  own 
account  about  a  hundred  feet  to  leeward,  alighting  upon  a  house  in 
New  Prince  Street,  and  descending  unceremoniously  into  a  cosey 
kitchen,  where  he  frightened  a  timid  girl  who  was  preparing  the 
supper.  The  visitor,  however,  suffered  more  than  the  girl;  for  his 
comb  was  flattened,  his  breast-bone  fractured,  and  his  plumage  was 
seriously  damaged.  The  surgeons  again  took  him  in  hand,  set  his 
limbs  and  healed  his  wounds,  and  placed  him  on  exhibition  this 
time  within  the  church,  where  he  could  enjoy  a  period  of  well- 
earned  repose.  Soon  after,  in  consequence  of  the  demolition  of 
the  building,  his  services  were  no  longer  needed  here,  and  he  was 
sold  to  the  Shepard  Memorial  Church,  of  Cambridge,  —  a  much 
older  church  even  than  the  New  Brick  of  Boston,  and  one  that 
also  had  a  weathercock  for  its  vane  in  the  early  time.  Our  old 
friend,  therefore,  feels  at  home  on  his  new  roost,  especially  as  he 
receives  excellent  care,  and  has  just  had  a  new  overcoat,  made  out 
of    twenty-four  books  of    gold-leaf,  which,   with  pardonable   pride, 


An  Ancient   Weathercock.  335 

he  thinks  very  becoming.  He  may  be  seen  any  day,  standing 
guard  over  the  Washington  Elm  and  Harvard  College  with  as 
much  vigilance  as  he  ever  exercised  over  the  homes  and  ship-yards 
of  the  North  End. 

In  matters  of  theology,  this  gallinaceous  fowl  is  said  to  be 
very  tolerant  and  not  in  the  least  bigoted.  He  has  been  content 
with  the  Puritan  doctrines  of  Welsteed  and  Pemberton,  with  the 
Unitarianism  of  Ware  and  Robbins,  with  the  fervent  piety  of  a 
succession  of  Methodist  preachers,  and  now,  with  the  ministrations 
of  a  church  representing  the  old  New  England  faith  vitalized  by 
the  modern  evangelic  spirit. 

In  politics,  this  astute  observer  has  always  been  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  liberals.  He  sympathized  warmly  with  the  Revolu- 
tionary movement,  and  was  often  inclined  to  crow  over  the  suc- 
cesses of  the  patriots.  He  is  no  partisan,  but  he  believes  in 
progress,  and  does  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the  highest  inter- 
ests of  both  church  and  state. 

It  is  not  known  to  all  that  the  cock,  as  well  as  the  cross,  was  a 
favorite  ornament  for  church  spires  in  the  Middle  Ages.  There  is 
a  quaint  Latin  poem,  supposed  to  be  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
designed  to  show  the  symbolic  meaning  of  the  weathercock  on  a 
Christian  church.  It  was  first  published  in  the  "  Serapium,"  from 
a  manuscript  belonging  to  the  cathedral  of  Oehringen.  Dr.  Neale 
has  recently  translated  it  as  follows :  — 

MULTI    SUNT    PRESBYTERI. 

"  Many  are  the  Presbyters 
Lacking  information 
Why  the  cock  on  each  church  tower 
Meetly  finds  his  station. 


336  An  Ancient   Weathercock. 

Therefore  I  will  now  hereof 
Tell  the  cause  and  reason, 

If  ye  lend  me  patient  ears 
For  a  little  season. 

"Cock  he  is  a  marvellous 

Bird  of  God's  creating, 
Faithfully  the  priestly  life 

In  his  ways  relating  : 
Such  a  life  as  he  must  lead 

Who  a  parish  tendeth, 
And  his  flock  from  jeopardy 

Evermore  defendeth. 

"From  what  point  the  wind  his  course 

On  the  tower  directeth, 
To  that  point  the  cock  his  head 

Manfully  objecteth  : 
Thus  the  Priest,  where'er  he  sees 

Satan's  warfare  waging, 
Thither  doth  he  turn  himself, 

For  his  flock  engaging. 

"  Cock  he  more  than  other  birds 

Way  through  ether  winging, 
Heareth,  high  above  the  clouds, 

Choirs  angelic  singing. 
Thus  he  warns  us  cast  away 

Evil  word  and  doing, 
Thoughts  and  joys  of  things  above 

Evermore  ensuing. 

"On  his  head  a  royal  crown 

Like  a  king  he  beareth ; 
On  his  foot  a  shapely  spur 

Like  a  knight  he  weareth  ; 
Waxeth  golden  more  and  more 

As  in  age  he  groweth  ; 
And  the  lion  quakes  with  fear 

When  by  night  he  croweth. 


An  Ancient   Weathercock.  ^1 

"Cock  hath  soldier's  buskins  on, 

Strengthening  and  protecting, 
Singularly  every  fault 

Of  his  hens  correcting  : 
So  the  Priest  is  bound  to  do, 

Punishing  transgression, 
Making  men  in  word  and  deed 

Better  by  confession 

11  Cock  he  rules  a  tribe  of  hens, 

Laws  and  customs  giving, 
And  hath  many  cares  of  heart 

For  their  way  of  living: 
Even  thus  parochial  cure 

Whoso  entertaineth, 
Let  him  learn  and  let  him  do 

That  which  God  ordaineth. 

"  Cock  he  findeth  grains  of  wheat, 

And  his  hens  he  calleth, 
Giving  to  the  dearer  ones 

What  to  each  befalleth : 
Midst  the  people  thus  the  clerk 

Scripture  nurture  shareth, 
And  for  sick  and  poor  and  maimed 

Providently  careth. 

"When  it  draws  to  vesper-tide, 

Cock  neglecteth  never, 
But  he  goeth  straight  to  roost 

With  his  subjects  ever  ; 
So  that  then,  when  midnight  comes, 

He  may  well  and  truly 
Call  God's  Priests  to  rise  and  sing 

Matin  service  duly. 

"  Let  the  present  things  suffice 
Of  the  cock  related ; 
Only  in  the  hearers'  hearts 
Let  them  be  located. 


338  An  Ancient   Weathercock. 

This  sweet  musk,  if  fully  chewed, 
In  its  truth  and  meetness 

Shall  abound  with  more  than  all 
Aromatic  sweetness. 

u  Thus  the  cock  hath  preached  to  you 
Hear,  with  duty  fervent, 
Priests  and  Levites  of  the  Lord, 

Every  faithful  servant ; 
That  at  last  it  may  be  said, 

k  Come  to  joys  supernal.' 
Yea,  bestow  on  all  of  us, 
Father,  Life  eternal" 


^i'&'&mL-n 


THE   WADSWORTH  TABLET. 


HE  oldest  sign  now  exposed  to  view  in  Boston  may  be 
seen  fastened  into  the  wall  of  a  modern  brick  house 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  North  and  Richmond 
Streets.  It  was  attached  to  the  former  building,  also 
of  brick,  which  stood  (3n  this  spot;  and  it  has  wisely  been  preserved 
in  situ,  as  an  interesting  though  rather  enigmatical  relic  of  an 
early  period  in  our  history. 

Among  those  who  came  to  Boston  in  the  ship  "  Lion,"  in  1632, 
was  Christopher  Wadsworth,  who  settled  in  Duxbury.  His  son, 
Captain  Samuel  Wadsworth,  of  Milton,  was  killed  with  his  com- 
pany by  the  Indians,  at  Sudbury,  in  April,  1676,  in  the  fight  known 
as  "Wadsworths  Massacre."  Among  the  Captain's  sons  were 
Benjamin  Wadsworth,  pastor  of  the  First  Church  and  President 
of  Harvard  College  ;  Joseph  Wadsworth,  a  distinguished  citizen 
and  the  treasurer  of  Boston  for  many 

years;    and   Timothy  Wadsworth,  of  cT/L^oi^^u  fff^fajas/^. 
whom  this  tablet  is  a  mute  memorial. 

Timothy  Wadsworth  was  born  in  1662,  and  married  Susannah, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Cocke,  and  granddaughter  of  Nicholas  Upsall, 
from  whom  he  acquired  possession  of  a  part  of  the  famous  Red 
Lion  Inn  property  on  this  ancient  corner.  By  an  agreement  made 
between  Upsall's  heirs  in  1693,  Wadsworth  secured  the  upper  end 


344  The    Wadsworth    Tablet, 

of  Red  Lion  Wharf,  with  the  shops  standing  upon  it,  and  the 
adjoining  warehouse  on  the  town's  slip.  Being  a  gunsmith  by 
trade,  and  needing  a  sign,  he  had  this  stone  tablet  made  the  follow- 
ing year,  with  the  three  initial  letters,  W[adsworth],  Tpmothy], 
and  S[usannah],  engraved  upon  it,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
time,  and  the  date,  1694,  placed  under  the  shield. 

Wadsworth  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Church,  a  tithing-man, 
a  constable,  and  a  clerk  of  the  market.  His  daughter,  Susannah, 
married  Edward  Langdon ;  and  his  son,  Recompense  Wadsworth, 
was  the  first  master  of  the  North  Grammar  School.  The  poet 
Longfellow  was  a  descendant,  on  his  mothers  side,  from  the  gun- 
smith's uncle,  John  Wadsworth.  A  branch  of  the  family  moved 
to  Connecticut,  where  the  name  is  associated  with  the  Wads- 
worth Athenaeum  at  Hartford,  and  Wadsworth's  Tower  on  Talcott 
Mountain. 

The  old  Red  Lion  Inn,  once  kept  by  Upsall,  stood  on  this  cor- 
ner, and  was  burned  in  the  great  fire  which  originated  near  here  in 
1676.  It  was  rebuilt  in  1680  by  Edward  Wanton,  a  ship  builder, 
who  had  come  from  England  in  1658,  and  who  was  the  ancestor  of 
four  Rhode  Island  governors  bearing  the  name  of  Wanton.  The 
new  Red  Lion  building  is  supposed  to  have  been  used  for  the  Naval 
Office,  or  Custom  House,  established  in  1681  by  the  irrepressible 
Randolph,  whose  officious  devotion  to  the  Stuarts  made  him  "  the 
evil  genius  of  the  Colony." 

The  Wadsworth  tablet  is  the  only  thing  remaining  in  all  this 
locality  to  tell  us  of  those  days.  It  is  hardly  enough  of  a  fossil 
for  even  an  Agassiz  to  construct  the  original  environment  out  of  it. 
The  building  to  which  it  belonged  was  of  two  stories,  and  served 
various  purposes  for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half.     It  is  not 


The    Wadsworth    Tablet. 


345 


easy  to  imagine  the  tide-water  coming  up  close  to  this  corner,  but 
persons  now  living  can  remember  when  boys  used  to  go  in  swim- 
ming close  by.  This  part  of  Richmond  Street  was  simply  a  cart- 
way leading  to  a  wood-wharf.  North  Street  was  then  about  three 
feet  lower  than  it  is  now,  and  very  much  narrower. 

The  following  cut  represents  an  old  house  standing  in  the  rear 
of  the  one  just  described.  The  upper  story  has  recently  been 
removed. 


,A%&«&j^]f£l8 


OCHTERLONY-ADAN    HOUSE. 


There  is  but  one  old  house 
left  standing  on  North  Street 
between  the  old  drawbridge 
(Blackstone  Street) and  North 
Square  ;  and  that  has  lost  its 
original  front  by  the  widen- 
ing of  the  street,  so  that  it 
can  only  be  seen  to  advantage 
from  Centre  Street,  on  the 
corner  of  which  it  stands, 
and  where  a  good  side  view 
is  obtained,  as  shown  in  the 
above  sketch.  Here  the  walls 
remain  precisely  as  they  were 
Ps&Sze^-  built  early  in  the  last  century, 

three  stories  high,  and  divided  by  the  heavy  belts  of  the  period. 
The  window-sills  are  firmly  set  in  the  brickwork,  but  the  sashes 
have  been  changed.  In  the  cellar  are  two  massive  vaulted  arches, 
similar  to  those  already  described.  The  house  was  so  substantially 
built  that,  although  designed  for  a  dwelling,  it  is  strong  enough  for 
all  the  purposes  of  a  warehouse. 


Ochterlony- A  dan  House,  347 

North  Centre  Street  was  formerly  called  Ball's  Alley,  and  also 
Paddy's  Alley,  after  Captain  William  Paddy,  one  of  the  selectmen 
of  the  colonial  town,  and  a  merchant  of  note,  who  deserves  an  hon- 
orable place  among  the  benefactors  of  Boston  for  having  given  the 
first  legacy  to  the  poor  found  on  the  town  records.  He  died  in 
1658,  leaving  nine  children  and  a  large  property. 

Among  the  early  occupants  of  this  house  were  Edward  Thomas, 
merchant,  and  Dr.  John  Perkins  (H.  C.  1695).  The  former  sold 
it,  in  171  7,  to  Captain  Edward  Martyn,  whose  widow,  Sarah,  a  few 
years  later  sold  it  to  Andrew  Tyler,  goldsmith,  whose  wife,  Miriam, 
was  a  sister  of  Sir  William  Pepperrell.  The  Tylers  lived  here  forty 
years;  and  then,  in  1762,  the  estate  was  sold  to  Captain  David 
Ochterlony,  a  son  of  Alexander  Ochterlony,  laird  of  Pitforthy, 
Forfarshire.  Captain  Ochterlony  had  a  son  David,  who,  while 
living  here,  attended  the  Latin  School  with  a  set  of  boys  who 
achieved  wide  distinction  in  subsequent  years.  They  belonged  to 
the  class  of  1 766,  and  may  be  considered  on  the  whole  the  most 
illustrious  class  that  the  school  ever  enrolled.  Among  them  were 
Admiral  Sir  Isaac  Coffin,  Bart.,  Dr.  James  Freeman,  Judge 
Thomas  Dawes,  Sir  Scrope  Bernard,  Bart.,  Dr.  Jonathan  Homer, 
Colonel  Freeman,  Judge  Cooper,  Colonel  Bradford,  and  several 
noted  merchants. 

In  this  galaxy  Sir  David  Ochterlony,  Bart.,  has  a  place  second 
to  none.  At  an  early  age  he  entered  the  British  army,  and  had  a 
long  and  brilliant  career  in  India,  where  he  attained  the  rank  of 
major-general,  and  was  created  a  Knight,  of  the  Grand  Cross  of  the 
Bath,  and  a  baronet.  He  died  unmarried  in  1825.  The  title  is 
borne  by  Sir  Charles- Metcalfe  Ochterlony,  Bart.,  of  Ochterlony, 
Forfar.     The  general's  father  died  while  the  family  were  living  in 


34 8  Ochterlony-Adan  House. 

this  house,  and  the  widow  afterward  married  Sir  Isaac  Heard, 
Garter  King  of  Arms.* 

There  is  a  tradition  connected  with  this  house  that,  on  the 
evening  of  April  18,  1775,  when  Revere  was  secretly  making  his 
preparations  for  the  ride  to  Lexington,  he  went  to  his  house  in 
North  Square  to  get  his  boots  and  surtout,  and  while  on  his  way  to 
the  boat  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  would  be  well  to  have  the  oars 
muffled,  as  he  would  be  obliged  to  pass  the  man-of-war  lying  in  the 
stream.  Accordingly  he  came  around  by  this  house,  then  occupied 
by  intimate  friends  of  the  family,  and  made  a  peculiar  signal.  It 
was  about  ten  o'clock,  and  all  was  quiet.  Presently  a  chamber 
window  was  raised  by  gentle  hands,  and  a  brief  communication 
was  held  in  a  whisper.  The  object  was  gained,  and  a  woollen 
under-garment,  warm  from  use,  was  soon  forthcoming  and  patri- 
otically placed  at  Reveres  disposal.  It  dropped  noiselessly  into 
his  hands  ;  and  thus  armed,  he  went  forth  on  his  famous  errand. 
Who  shall  say  that  the  women  of  the  Revolution  were  not  as  ready 
as  the  men  to  make  sacrifices  for  "  the  common  cause  "  ? 

Among  the  subsequent  owners  of  this  estate  were  Ezekiel  Gold- 
thwait,  town-clerk,  Mary  Swift,  and  John  R.  Adan  (H.  C.  181 3). 
Mr.  Adan  lived  here  during  the  earlier  part  of  his  life,  and  retained 
the  property  many  years  afterward.  He  was  prominent  in  public 
affairs,  and  became  president  of  the  Common  Council.  He  then 
abandoned  a  political  career,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  practice 
of  the  law,  in  which  he  excelled.  He  is  remembered  by  many  as 
one  of  the  leading  men  engaged  in  the  laying  out  of  Commercial 
Street,  in  1827-29.     His  associates  in  the  enterprise  were  Samuel 

*  Portraits  of  Sir  David  and  his  mother  and  Sir  Isaac  Heard  are  in  possession  of  the  New 
England   Historic  Genealogical   Society. 


The  Eastern  Stage  House,  349 

S.  Lewis,  Dr.  Gardner,  Joshua  Ellis,  Robert  G.  Shaw,  Dr.  Stone, 
Thomas  Thompson,  Benjamin  Humphrey,  Nathaniel  Faxon, 
Lebbeus  Stetson,  and  John  Day  Howard.  Fulton  Street  was 
planned  at  the  same  time,  but  not  built  upon  for  several  years. 

On  the  other  side  of  Ann  Street,  near  the  old  drawbridge,  lived 
and  died  one  of  Boston's  most  zealous  antiquaries,  Thomas  Pem- 
berton,  a  man  of  great  simplicity  of  character,  who  spent  much  of 
his  time  in  literary  seclusion,  pursuing  his  favorite  studies  in  local 
and  New  England  history.  He  wrote  much,  and  left  a  voluminous 
collection  of  manuscripts  to  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
of  which  he  was  a  charter  member.  He  died  unmarried  in  1807. 
His  benevolence  exceeded  even  his  fortune,  which  was  large ;  and 
it  is  said  that  he  gave  away  in  legacies  more  than  he  was  worth. 

Adjoining  the  Adan  estate  on  the  north  was  an  old  mansion, 
which  in  its  later  years  was  much  enlarged,  and  known  as  the 
Eastern  Stage  House.  Originally  it  was  the  residence  of  Captain 
Thomas  Lake,  one  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  the  Colonial 
time.  He  was  killed  by  the  Indians  on  the  Kennebec  in  1676. 
His  daughter,  Ann,  wife  of  the  Rev.  John  Cotton,  of  Hampton, 
N.  H.,  and  his  grandson,  Sir  Bybie  Lake,  Bart,  of  England,  sold 
the  homestead,  in  171 2,  to  Samuel  Wentworth  for  ,£1,800.  Five 
years  later,  Wentworth  sold  it  to  Nathaniel  Henchman  for  £2,159. 
It  was  then  described  as  a  stone  dwelling,  situated  some  distance 
back  from  the  street,  near  Nannie's  Buildings  in  Elbow  Alley, 
and  having  in  front  four  brick  tenements,  "  two  on  each  side 
the  arch."  This  would  show  that  the  familiar  arch  of  stage-coach 
times  was  no  modern  affair.  In  1726  the  estate  was  purchased 
by  Colonel  John  Carnes,  who  was  succeeded,  in  1761,  by  Jonathan 


350  The  Eastern  Stage  House. 

Williams,  and  he,  in  turn,  by  John  Codman,  whose  heirs  have 
since  held  it. 

The  Eastern  Stage  House  was  a  well  kept  and  widely  known 
hostelry,  until  the  construction  of  railroads  changed  the  whole 
character  of  our  public  houses.  It  was  built  mostly  of  brick,  two 
and  a  half  stories  high,  and  stood  about  fifty  feet  back  from  Ann 
Street,  the  intervening  space  being  occupied  by  stores.  The  main 
entrance  was  through  an  arched  passage-way  about  ten  feet  wide, 
connecting  with  the  spacious  courtyard  within.  All  vehicles 
entered  the  yard  from  Centre  Street,  and  not  through  the  arch. 

This  house  was  the  rendezvous  for  the  regular  stages  to  New- 
buryport,  Portsmouth,  Dover,  Exeter,  Portland,  and  Bangor.  The 
mail  coaches  carried  only  six  passengers  ;  other  coaches  took  nine 
inside  and  two  on  the  driver's  seat.  The  fare  to  Portsmouth  by 
the  mail  was  four  dollars,  and  by  other  coaches  three.  On  the 
return  trip,  the  mail  came  over  Charlestown  Bridge  and  through 
Prince  Street  to  the  Stage-House  arch  on  Ann  Street,  where  pas- 
sengers who  wished  could  alight.  It  was  then  driven  directly  to 
the  post-office  to  deliver  the  mails,  after  which  passengers  were 
taken  to  any  part  of  the  town  where  they  desired  to  be  left.  In 
setting  out  on  the  journey,  persons  were  "  booked  "  at  the  Stage 
House  the  night  before,  and  called  for  at  their  residences,  usually 
very  early  in  the  morning,  as  some  old  travellers  remember  very 
distinctly. 

The  tavern  accommodated  about  a  hundred  guests,  including 
some  thirty  of  the  drivers.  It  was  the  custom,  on  the  arrival  of 
stages  and  during  the  evening,  for  the  townspeople  to  gather  in 
large  numbers  at  the  house,  to  learn  the  news  and  receive  letters 
or  packages  from  the  country.     The  drivers  were  then  the  centre 


The  Sign  of  Mercury.  351 

of  attraction,  as  important  business  was  often  intrusted  to  them. 
They  were  usually  a  superior  class  of  men,  selected  for  their  known 
intelligence  and  ability.  Many  of  them  afterward  obtained  the 
highest  positions  on  our  railroads.  Good  cheer  prevailed  at  the 
inn,  especially  around  the  old  fireplace  in  the  evening,  when  sto- 
ries were  told  and  the  topics  of  the  day  vigorously  discussed.  On 
Sunday  evenings  the  company  often  joined  in  singing  familiar 
hymns,  under  the  spirited  leadership  of  the  popular  agent  of  the 
Company,  Captain  Alexander  Brown. 

The  stages  were  usually  driven  four-in-hand,  six  horses  being 
used  when  the  roads  were  heavy.  They  were  expected  to  rattle 
along  at  the  rate  of  ten  miles  an  hour,  with  relays  at  Salem  and 
Ipswich.  Arrangements  were  made  for  three  or  four  regular  trips 
each  way  daily,  besides  occasional  extra  coaches.  Fleet  horses  and 
chaises  were  also  kept  by  the  Company  to  overtake  a  stage,  if 
required,  half  an  hour  after  it  had  started,  or  to  take  single  pas- 
sengers any  distance  for  a  suitable  consideration.  During  the 
great  Eastern  Land  speculation  and  the  financial  panic  of  1837, 
many  special  trips  were  made  with  all  possible  speed,  regardless 
of  cost,  one  hundred  dollars  and  more  being  paid  for  going  to 
Portsmouth. 

A  suitable  sign  for  travellers  is  that  of  Mercury,  sketched  below 
from  an  original  wooden  figure,  supposed  to  be  as  old  as  the  Blue 
Ball  or  the  Bunch  of  Grapes.  Tradition  says  that  it  stood  over 
the  Provincial  post-office,  in  Cornhill.  Half  a  century  ago  it  had 
found  its  way  into  a  rigger's  loft,  and  was  taken  for  debt.  It  then 
had  a  wand  and  wings.  Being  suitable  for  a  mathematical  instru- 
ment store,  it  was  for  a  long  time  utilized  by  Mayor  Lincoln's  firm 


352 


The   Sign   of  Mercury. 


at  the  North  End.  When  the  wand  became  broken,  a  quadrant 
was  put  in  its  place.  Long  exposure  to  the  weather  has  stripped 
the  little  figure  of  much  of  its  beauty,  but  there  is  a  classic  grace 
and  delicacy  about  it  still  which  is  certainly  worth  preserving.  It 
has  just  been  taken  down,  repaired  and  regilded,  and  presented  to 
the  Bostonian  Society  at  the  old  State  House,  where  it  can  be 
seen  in  the  corner  of  the  Council   Chamber. 


BELL    IN    HAND 


N  the  very  heart  of  the  business  life  of  Boston,  between 
Washington  Street  and  Court  Square,  is  a  dark  and 
narrow  passage-way  known  as  Williams  Court.  Only 
the  initiated  ever  think  of  entering  such  a  gloomy 
and  unsavory  precinct ;  and  yet  it  is  a  thoroughfare  for  reporters, 
pressmen,  newsboys,  policemen,  and  City  Hall  politicians,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  "  ruddy-nosed  fraternity,"  and  the  small  traders  in 
peanuts  and  candy.  Formerly  it  was  even  more  forbidding  than  it 
is  now,  and  gentlemen  seldom  went  through  it.  One  day  Rufus 
Choate  was  picking  his  way  along  in  these  shadowy  depths  with 
nervous  stride,  when  he  was  accosted  by  a  friend  who  expressed 
surprise  at  seeing  him  in  such  a  place.  "  Yes,"  said  the  astute 
lawyer,  "  ignominious,  but  convenient." 

Doubtless  many  persons  have  threaded  their  way  through  this 
court  without  ever  noticing,  over  a  tap-room,  a  carved  representa- 
tion of  a  hand  grasping  a  bell,  with  the  date  a.d.  1795  underneath. 
This  unique  sign  has  considerable  interest  to  Bostonians  from  its 
connection  with  the  old  town-crier,  James  Wilson,  an  original  char- 
acter, who  for  nearly  half  a  century  was  better  known  probably 
among  men,  women,  and  children  than  any  other  person  in  the 
town.     He  was  a  short,  thick-set,  red-faced  man,  with  keen  eyes 


360  Bell  in   Hand. 

on  the  trip.  The  next  day  he  would  return  to  Boston,  much 
refreshed  by  the  journey. 

The  crier  died  in  184 1,  at  a  good  old  age;  and  when  the  Ex- 
change Coffee-House  was  torn  down  in  1854,  the  bell-in-hand  sign 
and  most  of  his  stock  in  trade,  including  a  number  of  old  pictures, 
were  removed  to  Williams  Court. 

The  town-crier  naturally  suggests  the  old  night-watch,  whose 
duty  included  crying  the  hour  and  half  hour  through  the  night. 
Most  comforting  to  a  timid  person  was  the  slow,  familiar  step 
on  the  pavement,  and  then  the  plaintive,  musical  cry:  u  Half-past 
twelve  o'clock,  and  a  clear  morning!"  When  the  cry  came,  as 
it  sometimes  did,  "  One  o'clock,  and  a  severe  snow-storm !  "  the 
hearer  would  reflect  upon  the  advantages  of  a  comfortable  bed 
under  such  conditions  of  the  weather,  and  would  gladly  turn  over 
for  a  good  sound  sleep  the  rest  of  the  night,  regardless  of  snow- 
storms and  watchman's  cries. 


KING'S   CHAPEL 


HE  chief  object  of  this  book  has  been  to  give  the 
result  of  original  investigation  among  the  old  build- 
ings at  the  North  End.  The  value  of  such  a  work, 
however,  may  be  enhanced  by  including  some  of  the 
famous  historical  buildings  which,  though  not  at  the  North  End 
properly  speaking,  are  grouped  together  very  near  it,  and  are  so 
identified  with  the  earlier  life  of  Boston  that  it  would  seem  unnat- 
ural not  to  notice  them  in  these  rambles. 

And  yet  but  little  remains  to  be  said  about  these  conspicuous 
and  time-honored  landmarks,  so  fully  have  they  been  studied  and 
so  often  described  by  others.  This  is  particularly  true  of  King's 
Chapel,  which,  by  its  position  and  fame,  has  constantly  challenged 
public  attention,  and  which  has  found  a  worthy  annalist  in  its 
present  minister,  whose  exhaustive  account  of  the  venerable  sanc- 
tuary is  a  valuable  contribution  to  American  history. 

The  original  edifice  was  a  very  small  wooden  building  —  appro- 
priately called  chapel — constructed  on  the  same  corner  in  1689. 
The  land  was  taken  from  the  town's  burial-ground,  probably  by 
order  of  Governor  Andros,  who  was  aided  in  the  project  by  Edward 
Randolph,  Robert  Ratcliffe,  Dr.  Bullivant,  and  other  zealous  advo- 
cates of  the  Church  of  England.  For  ten  years  it  was  called  His 
Majesty's  Chapel ;  then  King's  Chapel ;  and  in  the  reign  of  Queen 


366  Kings   Chapel. 

Anne,  Queen's  Chapel.  William  and  Mary  were  liberal  patrons 
of  the  enterprise.  Among  the  royal  gifts  were  a  library,  a  service 
of  plate,  pulpit  cushions,  altar  linen  and  carpet,  a  Bible,  and  several 
prayer-books. 

Subscriptions  were  obtained,  in  1710,  for  an  enlargement  of  the 
building,  more  than  half  the  amount  being  given  by  British  officers 
stationed  here.  Each  proprietor  constructed  his  own  pew.  Oppo- 
site the  pulpit  was  the  governor's  pew,  richly  decorated;  and 
behind  that  was  one  for  the  use  of  masters  of  vessels,  and  another 
reserved  for  eight  old  men.  Galleries  were  erected,  and  a  clock 
took  the  place  of  the  brass-mounted  pulpit  hour-glass.  Escutch- 
eons of  the  king  and  governors  and  other  notables  hung  upon 
the  walls  and  pillars.  An  organ  —  the  first  ever  heard  in  New 
England — was  bequeathed  by  Thomas  Brattle  in    171 3.* 

The  Chapel,  though  twice  as  large  as  it  had  been,  was  still 
a  small  wooden  structure,  with  three  windows  on  each  side,  and 
three  at  the  east  end.  It  had  a  square  bell-tower,  surmounted  by 
a  tall  mast,  with  a  weathercock  at  the  top,  and  a  gilt  crown  half 
way  up.     Several  tombs  were  built  underneath  at  this  period. 

In  1749  the  corner-stone  of  the  present  building  was  laid  by 
Governor  Shirley.  The  plans  were  furnished  by  Peter  Harrison, 
an  English  architect  of  note,  who  came  over  with  Smibert,  and 
who  also  designed  the   Redwood   Library,  and   Bishop   Berkeley's 

*  His  will  offered  it  to  the  church  in  Brattle  Square,  "if  they  shall  accept  thereof,  and  within 
a  year  after  my  decease  procure  a  Sober  person  that  can  play  skilfully  thereon  with  a  loud  noise. 
Otherwise  to  y  Church  of  England  in  this  towne,  on  ye  same  terms  and  conditions."  The  Brattle 
Square  Church,  "with  all  possible  respect  to  the  memory  of  our  deceased  Friend  and  Benefactor, 
Voted,  that  they  did  not  think  it  proper  to  use  the  same  in  the  publick  worship  of  God."  Accord- 
ingly it  wafl  placed  in  King's  Chapel.  In  1756  this  organ  was  superseded  by  a  better  one,  and  sold 
to  a  church  in  Xewburvport,  where  it  remained  eighty  years,  and  then  was  purchased  for  $450  for 
the  use  of  a  chapel  in  Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  where  it  has  been  in  regular  use  ever  since. 


Kings   Chapel.  367 

residence  at  Newport.  To  make  room  for  the  new  edifice,  the 
church  purchased  the  site  in  the  rear,  then  occupied  by  the  Latin 
School.  The  stone  came  from  Braintree.  An  elaborate  steeple 
was  to  have  been  added,  to  give  effect  to  the  whole ;  but  the  funds 
were  not  sufficient  at  the  time,  and  subsequently  people  became 
accustomed  to  the  massive  square  tower  as  it  was,  and  grew  to  like 
it ;  and  now  no  one  would  think  of  reverting  to  the  original  plan. 
The  columns  of  the  portico  date  only  from    1790. 

The  Revolutionary  War,  which  wrought  so  many  changes  in 
Boston,  was  fatal  to  the  maintenance  of  this  church  as  an  outpost 
of  royalty  and  episcopacy.  Dr.  Caner,  the  rector,  fled  with  the 
British  at  the  Evacuation,  taking  with  him  the  church  registers, 
plate,  and  vestments  * 

As  the  congregation  had  been  composed  mostly  of  loyalists, 
who  were  now  scattered,  the  Chapel  remained  closed  for  a  year 
and  a  half,  and  then  was  opened  for  the  use  of  the  Old  South 
parish,  whose  meeting-house  had  been  desecrated  by  the  king's 
troops.  This  arrangement  continued  five  years,  during  which 
time  Joseph  Eckley  was  ordained  here  as  pastor  of  the  Old  South. 
For  a  long  time  after  this  the  Chapel  was  commonly  called  Stone 
Chapel. 

In  1783  the  proprietors  chose  James  Freeman  as  their  minister, 
and  consented  to  allow  certain  alterations  in  the  liturgy.  Soon 
after  other  changes  were  made,  excluding  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity;  and  in  1787  the  senior  warden,  in  the  name  of  the  So- 
ciety, ordained  Mr.  Freeman  as  "  rector,  minister,  priest,  pastor, 
teaching  elder,  and   public   teacher."     Thus  "  the  first  Episcopal 

*  The  plate,  which  was  the  gift  of  three  kings,  and  amounted  to  2,800  ounces  of  silver,  was 
never  recovered.     The  registers  were  obtained  thirty  years  after  from  the  Doctor's  heirs. 


368  Kings   Chapel. 

church  in  New  England  became  the  first  Unitarian  church  in 
America." 

The  interior,  though  rather  low,  has  always  been  considered  one 
of  the  best  examples  in  this  country  of  the  school  of  Wren. 
Since  the  loss  of  the  Brattle  Square  Church,  which  was  very  much 
like  it,  King's  Chapel  has  been  regarded  with  increasing  interest  as 
an  historical  monument  of  the  greatest  value  to  Boston,  —  a  wit- 
ness of  the  struggles  through  which  the  fathers  passed  in  the  days 
which  tried  men's  souls.  This  memorial  character  of  the  church 
is  well  illustrated  by  its  mural  tablets  and  marble  busts,  which 
adorn  the  walls  on  all  sides.  The  Vassall  monument  connects  us 
with  the  England  of  Charles  I.  Apthorp  was  the  richest  and  most 
generous  merchant  of  his  day  in  America.  Governor  Shirley's 
wife  and  daughter ;  William  Price,  the  founder  of  the  Price  lec- 
tures ;  Newton,  Appleton,  and  Curtis;  May,  Lowell,  Sullivan,  and 
George  B.  Emerson,  are  worthily  commemorated ;  and  the  soldiers' 
monument  is  a  striking  proof  of  the  patriotism  of  this  Church. 

The  order  of  succession  in  the  ministry  of  King's  Chapel  has 
been  as  follows:  Robert  Ratcliffe,  1 686-1 689;  Robert  Clarke, 
assistant,  1686-1689;  Samuel  Myles,  1689-1728;  George  Hatton, 
assistant,  1693-1696;  Christopher  Bridge,  assistant,  1699-1706; 
Henry  Harris,  assistant,  1 709-1 729;  Roger  Price,  1729-1746; 
Thomas  Harward,  assistant,  1 731-1736;  Addington  Davenport, 
assistant,  1737-1740;  Stephen  Rowe,  assistant,  1741-1744;  Henry 
Caner,  1  747-1 776;  Charles  Brockwell,  assistant,  1  747-1 755;  John 
Troutbeck,  assistant,  1 755—1 775  ;  James  Freeman,  1 782—1835  ; 
Samuel  Cary,  associate,  1809-1815;  Francis  W.  P.  Greenwood, 
1 824-1 843;  Ephraim  Peabody,  1 846-1856;  Henry  W.  Foote, 
1861— . 


Kings  Chapel  Burial-Ground.  369 

Bronze  Tablets,  with  the  following  inscriptions,  were  placed 
upon  the  gates  of  the  King's  Chapel  and  Granary  Burial  Grounds 
in  the  year  1882  :  — 

KING'S   CHAPEL   BURIAL-GROUND 
1630 

Here  were  buried 

(£ooernors  of  J&assacimsetts 
John  Winthrop  1649,  John  Endecott  1665, 

John  Leverett  1679,  William  Shirley  1771; 

Hfeut.  ©tobernors  of  J&assactmsetts 
William  Phillips  1827,  Thomas  Lindall  Winthrop  1841 ; 

GJobernors  of  (ftounectfcut 
John  Winthrop  1676,  Fitz-John  Winthrop  1707; 

SJutiges  of  J&assacfmsetts 
Wait  Still  Winthrop  171 7,  Adam  Winthrop  1743, 

Oliver  Wendell  18 18,  Thomas  Dawes  1825  ; 

J&iufsters  of  3Soston 
John  Cotton  1652,  John  Davenport  1670, 

John  Oxenbridge  1674,  Thomas  Bridge  1715. 


KING'S   CHAPEL   BURIAL-GROUND 
1630 

Here  were  buried 
Jacob  Sheafe  1658,  John  Winslow  1674, 

Mary  Chilton  1679, 
a  passenger  in  the  Mayflower 

and  wife  of  John  Winslow, 

Major  Thomas  Savage  1682, 

Lady  Andros  1688, 

Captain  Roger  Clap  1690,  Thomas  Brattle  1713, 

Professor  John  Winthrop  1776, 
James  Lloyd  1831,  Charles  Bulfinch  1844. 


370  Granary  Burial-Ground. 


GRANARY   BURIAL-GROUND 

1660 

Within  this  ground  are  buried 
John  Hancock,  Samuel  Adams, 

and 

Robert  Treat  Paine, 
Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  ; 

©oforruirs 
Richard  Bellingham,  William  Dummer, 

James  Bowdoin,  Increase  Sumner, 


James 

Sullivan 

Lieut. 

and 
Governor  Thomas  Cushing; 

Christopher  Gor 

Chief  Justice  Samuel  Sewall; 

John 

Baily, 

Pltmgtera 

Samuel  Willard, 

Jeremy 

Belknap, 

and                    John 

Lathrop. 

GRANARY   BURIAL-GROUND 
1660 

Within  this  ground  are  buried 

The  victims  of  the  Boston  Massacre, 
March  5,  1770. 


Josiah  Franklin  and  Wife 

(Parents  of  Benjamin  Franklin), 
Peter  Faneuil,  Paul  Revere 

and 

John  Phillips, 
First  Mayor  of  Boston. 


THE    PROVINCE   HOUSE. 


WO  interesting  relics  of  the  Province  House,  besides 
a  portion  of  the  outer  walls,  remain  to  tell  us  of  its 
former  grandeur;  namely,  the  royal  arms  that  hung 
over  the  front  entrance,  and  the  famous  Indian  vane 
that  surmounted  the  cupola.  These  unique  memorials  are  now 
safe  in  the  custody  of  the  Historical  Society,*  and  will  long 
serve  to  perpetuate  the  story  of  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
buildings  that  Boston  has  ever  known. 

The    Province    House    was    a   tall,    stately   mansion    standing 
in  ample  grounds,  about  seventy  feet  west  of  Washington  Street, 


*  When  the  Province  House  was  transformed  into  a  minstrel  theatre,  the  front  porch  and  the 
wainscoting  of  one  of  the  rooms  were  secured  by  Major  Ben  Perley  Poore  for  his  residence  at 
Indian  Hill.  The  porch  was  set  up  as  an  entrance  to  the  garden  ;  but  after  a  few  years  it  fell  into 
decay.  The  wainscoting,  in  broad  panels,  was  used  by  the  Major  for  the  parlor  of  his  suite  of 
Continental  rooms,  where  it  still  remains  in  good  condition. 


376  The  Province  House. 

nearly  opposite  Milk  Street.  It  was  built  as  a  private  residence, 
in  1679,  by  Peter  Sergeant,  a  wealthy  and  public-spirited  mer- 
chant, who  had  come  from  London  some  years  before.  The 
estate  measured  eighty-six  feet  on  the  street,  and  two  hundred 
and  sixty- six  feet  in  depth.  The  house  was  built  of  Dutch 
brick,  laid  in  the  English  bond,  with  clay  and  shell  mortar.  It 
was  three  stories  high,  and  had  a  spacious  attic,  lighted  by 
dormer  windows  and  a  large  octagonal  lantern  cupola.  The  front 
doorway  was  reached  by  an  easy  flight  of  broad  stone  steps ; 
and  over  the  porch  was  an  iron  balustrade,  in  which  were 
wrought  the  date  and  the  owner's  initials,  — "  16  P.  S.  79."  The 
interior  was  sumptuous  in  all  respects.  The  wide  entrance- 
hall  extended  through  the  house.  Opening  from  it,  on  either 
side,  were  large  apartments  finished  in  costly  woods,  and  hung 
with  elegant  tapestry.  The  lawn  was  well  shaded,  and  enclosed 
by  an  ornamental  fence,  at  each  end  of  which  was  a  porter's 
lodge. 

Such  was  the  princely  residence  which  the  Province  purchased 
for  ^2,300,  in  1 716,  for  the  use  of  the  royal  governors.  It  had 
previously,  in  1699,  been  put  at  the  service  of  the  Earl  of 
Bellomont  during  his  short  administration  of  fourteen  months, 
the  owner  generously  moving  out,  and  the  Province  meeting 
the  expense.  All  the  governors  from  Shute  to  Gage  used  the 
Province  House  for  official  business  and  social  receptions.  As 
many  of  them,  however,  had  their  own  residences,  they  did  not 
all  make  this  their  regular  abode. 

After  the  Revolution  it  was  known  as  the  "  Government 
I  louse,"  and  occupied  by  the  State  officers  until  the  completion 
of  the   new  State   House.     In   181 1    it  was  granted,  as  an  endow- 


The  Province  House,  377 

ment,  to  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  whose  trustees,  in 
181 7,  leased  it  for  ninety-nine  years  to  David  Greenough,  for 
the  gross  sum  of  $33,000.  Since  then  it  has  been  completely 
hidden  from  sight  by  a  row  of  stores  erected  in  front  of  it  on 
Washington  Street. 

After  being  used  as  a  tavern  and  a  minstrel  hall,  the  old 
building  was  nearly  destroyed  by  fire  in  1864,  only  the  walls  and 
some  of  the  heavy  timbers  remaining.  It  has  since  been  re- 
paired ;  but  no  one  could  get  an  adequate  idea,  from  its  present 
forlorn  condition,  of  what  it  was  in  the  days  of  its  vice-regal 
magnificence. 

The  device  of  the  Indian  was  taken  from  the  old  Colonial 
seal  of  Massachusetts,  and  was  a  fitting  emblem  for  the  house 
of  the  governors.  Mr.  Tolman,  in  his  drawing,  has  success- 
fully given  the  features  of  this  archaic  and  rather  grotesque 
figure  which,  in  two  senses,  has  come  down  to  us.  Our  ac- 
quaintance with  the  grasshopper  and  cockerel  vanes  prepares  us 
to  recognize  here  also  the  handiwork  of  the  ingenious  Drowne, 
whose  skill  in  metals,  crude  as  it  was,  entitles  him  to  rank  with 
the  artists  of  his  time,  of  whom,  indeed,  there  were  very  few. 

The  Indian*  is  made  out  of  two  sheets  of  hammered  copper, 
and  measures  4  feet  6  inches  from  the  top  of  his  plume  to  the 
sole  of  his  foot,  and  4  feet  2  inches  from  his  elbow  to  the 
arrow-head.  His  weight  is  48  pounds.  He  has  glass  eyes,  and 
is  supported  by  a  strong  iron  spindle  passing  through  his  right 
leg.      The    Latin    School    boys    used    to   say    that    whenever   he 

*  The  vane  was  removed  about  forty  years  ago,  and  placed  for  a  time  on  the  house  of  Dr. 
J.  C.  Warren,  in  Brookline.  In  1876  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Appleton,  gave  it  to  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society. 


7« 


The  Province  House. 


heard  the  Old  South  clock  strike  twelve  he  would  fire  off  his 
arrow. 

The  northern  wall  of  the  Province  House,  about  six  feet  thick, 
can  be  seen  from  a  narrow  and  uninviting  alley,  leading  out  of 
Province  Street.  It  is  partially  covered  with  wooden  sheathing, 
such  as  was  formerly  used  on  the  exposed  side  of  brick  buildings. 
The  northern  wall  of  Christ  Church  is  still  sheathed  in  this  way. 

A  narrow  passage,  now  closed  by  gates,  leads  from  No.  329 
Washington  Street  to  Province  Court,  by  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  old  mansion.     This  corner  is  shown  in  the  following  sketch. 


'" lL    "  - 


THE   OLD   CORNER  BOOKSTORE 


HE  chief  characteristic  of  Boston  among  the  cities  of 
America  is  not  its  hotels  or  warehouses,  not  its  pri- 
vate dwellings  or  public  halls,  not  even  its  schools  or 
its  Common,  however  excellent  these  may  all  be. 
Other  cities  can  have  what  money  or  enterprise  can  obtain,  as  well 
as  we.  New  York  excels  us  in  the  size  and  magnificence  of  her 
buildings;  Chicago  in  the  boldness  and  energy  of  her  trade;  and 
Washington  in  the  symmetry  and  cleanliness  of  her  streets.  But 
there  is  no  city  in  the  land  which  can  equal  Boston  in  the  number 
and  historical  interest  of  its  ancient  buildings.  This  is  our  most 
striking  feature,  according  to  the  testimony  of  intelligent  travellers, 
and  it  is  one  of  which  we  may  well  be  proud.  Such  a  possession 
cannot  be  purchased.      Let  it  not  be  needlessly  sacrificed. 

On  the  northern  corner  of  Washington  and  School  Streets, 
where  the  tide  of  human  life  flows  incessantly  from  morning  till 
night,  stands  a  quaint  and  well-preserved  gambrel-roof  building, 
known  as  the  Old  Corner  Bookstore.  It  is  older  than  any  church 
edifice  in  town,  thirty  years  older  than  the  original  Faneuil  Hall, 
and  about  as  old  as  the  outer  walls  of  the  old  State  House.  There 
are  several  brick  dwellings  at  the  North  End,  already  described, 
belonging  to  the  same  period,  and  a  few  wooden  houses  considerably 


384  The   Old  Corner  Bookstore. 

older ;  but  there  is  no  store  in  Boston  which  has  seen  such  long 
and  such  honorable  service  as  this.  For  nearly  sixty  years  it  has 
been  a  noted  bookstore ;  for  ten  years  previously  it  was  a  well- 
known  apothecary's  corner,  as,  indeed,  it  had  been  a  hundred  years 
before  that. 

The  building  was  erected  after  the  great  fire  of  171 1  by  Dr. 
Thomas  Crease,  who  had  bought  the  estate  — consisting  of  "a  gar- 
den and  a  garden-house"  —  four  years  before  of  the  heirs  of  Henry 
Shrimpton,  a  wealthy  merchant,  who  had  been  the  owner  since 
1 66 1.  The  original  property,  extending  as  far  as  the  present  City 
Hall,  belonged  to  William  Hutchinson,  —  founder  of  the  distin- 
guished Boston  family  of  the  name, —  who  had  come  from  Eng- 
land in  1634  with  his  wife,  the  famous  Anne  Hutchinson,  and  who 
built  the  first  house  on  this  lot,  then  bounded  by  "  the  highway 
leading  to  Roxbury  "  (Washington  Street)  and  "  the  lane  leading 
to  Centry  Hill"  (School  Street).  The  neighbors  were  Major 
Robert  Sedgwick  on  the  north,  Thomas  Scottow  on  the  west, 
and  opposite,  Governor  Winthrop  and  Elder  Thomas  Oliver. 

When  Washington  visited  Boston  in  February,  1756,  to  consult 
General  Shirley,  he  stopped  at  Cromwell's-Head  Tavern,  on  School 
Street,  just  above  the  old  corner.  During  his  visit  of  ten  days  he 
attended  the  sessions  of  the  Legislature,  and  accepted  the  hospi- 
tality of  several  prominent  citizens. 

The  present  building  was  designed  as  a  residence,  although, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  the  first  owner,  Dr.  Crease, 
used  the  front  room  for  his  business  as  an  apothecary.  The  subse- 
quent proprietors  were  Nicholas  Davis,  merchant,  and  Anthony 
his  son,  Thomas  Palmer,  and  Edward  Sohier;  since  whose  time  the 
estate  has  been  for  a  hundred  years  in  the  Inches  and  Brimmer 


The  Old  Corner  Bookstore.  385 

families.  Messrs.  Samuel  M.  and  Minot  Thayer  were  here  more 
than  twenty  years  in  the  dry-goods  business,  until  18 16.  The 
next  year  Dr.  Samuel  Clarke  —  father  of  the  Rev.  James  Free- 
man Clarke,  D.  D. —  opened  an  apothecary  store  here,  and  for 
some  years  he  rented  the  whole  building  as  a  residence.  The 
family  entrance  was  then  through  a  gateway  and  yard  on  School 
Street,  at  the  west  end  of  the  building. 

It  is,  however,  chiefly  as  a  literary  centre  that  the  old  corner  has 
acquired  its  fame.  In  1828  Messrs.  Carter  &  Hendee  opened 
a  bookstore  here,  and  soon  found  a  generous  patronage.  Their 
imprint,  though  not  very  familiar  to  the  present  generation,  may 
be  found  on  many  excellent  books,  which  were  highly  valued  in 
their  day,  and  some  of  which  yet  linger  on  the  upper  shelves 
of  our  family  libraries.  From  1833  to  1837,  the  firm  was  Allen 
&  Ticknor ;  and  then,  for  seven  years,  William  D.  Ticknor  con- 
ducted the  business  by  himself;  after  which  John  Reed,  Jr.,  and 
James  T.  Fields  were  associated  with  him  for  a  long  period. 

The  increasing  success  of  the  house  was  owing,  not  only  to  the 
able  administration  of  its  business  affairs,  but  also,  in  a  great 
degree,  to  the  fine  literary  taste  which  led  to  a  wise  choice  of 
authors,  both  American  and  English,  and  which  cultivated  personal 
relations  with  them,  resulting  in  many  mutual  advantages.  Mr. 
Fields  was  long  the  inspiring  genius  of  the  place.  He  began  as  a 
clerk,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  soon  after  the  bookstore  was  opened, 
coming  from  Portsmouth,  with  an  ardent  nature  and  a  genuine 
relish  for  books,  which  soon  made  him  an  invaluable  assistant. 
His  visits  to  Europe  brought  him  into  contact  with  persons  of 
distinction  in  the  literary  world,  many  of  whose  works  he  secured 
for    publication.      With    rare    discernment    he    recognized    ability 


386 


The  Old  Corner  Bookstore. 


wherever  he  found  it,  and  with  generous  sympathy  he  cultivated 
friendships.  His  genial  presence  and  ever  hearty  welcome  made 
his  store  a  favorite  rendezvous  for  the  guild  of  letters.  Here 
poets,  historians,  philosophers,  and  divines  have  loitered  around  the 
counters,  and  exchanged  familiar  greetings  behind  the  old  green- 
curtained  desk.  Here  have  often  been  seen  Hawthorne,  Sprague, 
Willis,  Whipple,  Hillard,  Parsons,  Emerson,  Longfellow,  Agassiz, 
Sumner,  Whittier,  Holmes,  Lowell,  and  many  other  lights  who 
have  given  so  much  character  and  brilliancy  to  our  literature. 

On  the  removal  of  Ticknor  &  Fields  to  Tremont  Street,  in 
1865,  they  were  succeeded  by  Messrs.  E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  who 
remained  four  years,  when  they  were  followed  by  Messrs.  Alex- 
ander Williams  &  Co.,  who  continued  until  the  present  firm, 
Messrs.  Cupples,   Upham,  &  Co.,  took  the  business  in    1883. 


THE    OLD    SOUTH 


"A  temple  shadowy  with  remembrances 
Of  the  majestic  past  !  —  the  very  light 
Streams  with  the  coloring  of  heroic  days." 

O  church  edifice  in  the  United  States  has  witnessed  so 
many  important  historical  events  as  the  Old  South. 
Everything  about  it  is  full  of  interest,  —  the  ground 
on  which  it  stands;  the  founders  of  the  church ;  the 
long  line  of  its  ministry ; #  the  distinguished  men  and  women  who 
have  honored  its  membership ;  the  election  sermons  preached  here 
for  a  century  and  a  half;  and  especially  —  to  all  lovers  of  freedom 
—  the  town-meetings  of  the  Revolutionary  period,  the  momentous 
resolves,  and  the  patriotic  orations  which,  echoing  from  these  walls, 
"  roused  the  whole  country  and  shook  the  British  throne." 

The  Third,  or  South,  Church  in  Boston  was  organized  by  twenty- 
nine  earnest  and  influential  citizens,  who  withdrew  from  the  First 
Church  in  1669,  and  erected  on  the  site  of  Governor  Winthrop's 
garden  a  meeting-house  of  cedar,  two  stories  high,  with  an  impos- 

*  The  Old  South  Church  has  had  the  following  ministers:  Thomas  Thacher,  1670-1678; 
Samuel  Willard,  1678-1707  ;  Ebenezer  Pemberton,  1700-1717  ;  Joseph  Sewall,  1713-1769;  Thomas 
Prince,  1718-1758;  Alexander  Cumming,  1761-1763;  Samuel  Blair,  1766-1769;  John  Bacon, 
1771-1775;  John  Hunt,  1771-1775 ;  Joseph  Eckley,  1779-1811  ;  Joseph  Huntington,  1803-1819; 
Benj  B.  Wisner,  1821-1832;  Samuel  H.  Stearns,  1834-1836;  George  W.  Blagden,  1836-1872; 
Jacob  M.   Manning,   1857-1882. 


392  The  Old  South. 

ing  steeple.  The  land  was  the  gift  of  Madam  Norton,  widow  of 
the  pastor  of  the  First  Church. 

After  the  repeal  of  the  Colonial  Charter,  a  demand  was  made  by 
Sir  Edmund  Andros  for  the  use  of  this  building  for  the  Church  of 
England  services ;  and  for  two  years  it  was  in  the  joint  occupancy 
of  the  Governor  and  the  parish,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  the 
latter. 

One  of  the  most  solemn  scenes  ever  witnessed  in  any  church  was 
the  confession  of  Judge  Sewall,  made  here  on  a  Fast  Day  in  1696, 
when  he  stood  up  in  his  pew  and  bowed  his  head,  while  the  min- 
ister read  his  note  asking  forgiveness  of  God  and  men  for  any 
possible  guilt  he  had  incurred  in  the  witchcraft  trials. 

Benjamin  Franklin  was  baptized  here  on  the  day  of  his  birth, 
Jan.  17,  1706.  His  home  was  directly  opposite,  on  Milk  Street. 
The  same  year  a  town-meeting  was  held  here,  to  see  about  fortify- 
ing the  harbor  against  an  expected  French  invasion. 

In  1730  the  present  brick  building  replaced  the  wooden  one; 
and  at  the  dedication,  Joseph  Sewall's  well-chosen  text,  from 
Haggai  ii.  9,  was  more  prophetic  than  he  knew.  A  few  years 
later,  Whitefields  voice  was  heard  here  in  the  presence  of  a  vast 
assembly. 

Longfellow's  familiar  "  Ballad  of  the  French  Fleet "  commemo- 
rates an  event  in  the  ministry  of  the  learned  Thomas  Prince, 
referred  to  by  President  Dwight  as  a  signal  instance  of  the  efficacy 
of  prayer : — 

11  And  even  as  I  prayed 
The  answering  tempest  came." 

With  the  encroachments  of  the  Crown  upon  the  liberty  of  the 
Colonies,  came  a  series  of  town-meetings  in   Boston,  such  as  the 


The  Old  South.  393 

world  had  never  seen.  Faneuil  Hall  being  much  smaller  then  than 
now,  many  of  the  great  meetings  were  adjourned  to  the  Old  South, 
which  was  always  at  the  service  of  the  town.  The  largest  and 
boldest  of  these  meetings,  up  to  that  time,  was  held  here  June  14, 
1768,  with  Otis  as  moderator,  to  protest  against  the  impressment 
and  revenue  laws,  and  to  demand  the  removal  of  the  frigate 
"  Romney  "  from  the  harbor.  Another  and  still  greater  meeting 
followed  after  the  Boston  Massacre,  in  March,  1770,  when  Samuel 
Adams  headed  the  committee  sent  to  Hutchinson  to  insist  upon 
the  removal  of  the  troops,  —  perhaps  the  most  dramatic  scene  in 
all  our  history. 

Then,  in  1773,  came  the  great  Tea  meeting,  at  which  as  many 
as  seven  thousand  people  remained  in  and  around  the  building 
till  after  candle-light,  quietly  but  resolutely  awaiting  the  Governor's 
response.  When  at  last  it  came,  Samuel  Adams,  the  moderator, 
arose  and  said :  "  This  meeting  can  do  nothing  more  to  save  the 
country."  Instantly  the  war-whoop  was  heard  at  the  door,  and  the 
Mohawks  rushed  by  on  their  hazardous  errand. 

Here,  too,  were  given  the  famous  Fifth  of  March  orations  by 
Lovell,  Warren,  Church,  Hancock,  and  again  by  Warren,  when 
he  was  obliged  to  enter  through  the  window,  only  three  months 
before  he  was  killed  at  Bunker   Hill. 

During  the  siege,  the  old  sanctuary  of  freedom  was  turned  into 
a  riding-school  for  the  Dragoons.  The  pulpit  and  pews  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  galleries  —  and  also,  it  is  said,  a  portion  of  the 
Prince  library  in  the  tower  —  were  removed  and  used  for  fuel. 
The  old  Governor  Winthrop  house,  adjoining,  and  a  fine  row 
of  buttonwood  trees  shared  the  same  fate.  When  Washington 
made   his  triumphal  entry  into   Boston  after  the    Evacuation,  he 


394 


The  Old  South. 


visited  the  Old  South,  and  looked  down  from  the  eastern  gallery 
upon  the  scene  of  desolation. 

When  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  the  venerable  edifice 
was  decorated  with  flags  and  mottoes  which  quickened  the  patriotic 
devotion  of  thousands.  Its  later  record  and  present  uses  are  fa- 
miliar to  all.  Though  no  longer  needed  as  a  place  of  ordinary 
worship,  it  can  always  be  of  the  greatest  service  as  a  temple  of 
American  history,  being  itself  the  best  possible  monument  we 
could  have  at  any  price;  and  by  its  valuable  collections,  frequent 
lectures,  and  organized  educational  work  for  the  young,  amply 
justifying  all  the  expense  which  its  preservation  involves.  The 
question  is  no  longer,  Can  we  afford  to  keep  it?  but  rather,  Can 
we  ever  afford  to  lose  it? 


tuasag 


THE    SHEAFFE    HOUSE 


ANY  inquiries  have  been  made  recently  regarding  the 
old  wooden  house  which  has  just  been  demolished  at 
the  corner  of  Essex  and  Columbia  Streets,- — the  last 
representative  in  that  part  of  the  city  of  the  old-time 
dwelling-houses  of  the  better  class.  It  was  built,  in  1 734,  by  Thomas 
Child  (sometimes  called  Captain),  who  had  come  from  Boston, 
England,  and  established  himself  here  in  1727  as  a  "distiller  and 
sugar-baker."  He  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  extending  from 
Bedford  Street  (then  called  Fiddler's  Lane)  down  to  the  flats.  His 
distil-house,  near  the  corner  of  Essex  and  South  Streets,  remains 
to  the  present  day. 

To  make  room  for  the  mansion  which  he  built  for  himself  (a  pic- 
ture of  which  is  here  given  as  it  appeared  in  1885),  Captain  Child 
tore  down  an  old  house  which  stood  on  the  premises,  "  having 
obtained  the  consent  of  the  neighborhood."  The  new  house  was 
large  and  convenient,  closely  resembling  the  college  presidents 
house  at  Cambridge.  Its  dancing  hall  and  wine  cellar  show  that 
the  Captain  brought  over  with  him  some  of  the  social  habits  of 
"  Merrie  England."  He  added  a  chaise-house,  and  laid  out  a  fine 
garden  extending  back  to  Bedford  Street.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  Trinity  Church,  in  1733.  He  married  Susannah  Hatch 
in  1728,  and  had  four  children,  one  of  whom,  Thomas  Child,  Jr., 


400  The  Sheaffe  House. 

became  the  collector  of  customs  at  Falmouth  (now  Portland), 
Maine.  A  daughter,  Isabella,  married  John  Coffin,  and  lived  in 
Canada.  Another  daughter,  Susannah,  married  William  Sheaffe, 
deputy  collector  of  Boston  under  Sir  Henry  Frankland.  He  after- 
ward issued  the  famous  Writs  of  Assistance,  which  aroused  so 
much  opposition. 

The  Sheaffes  had  a  young  daughter,  Susannah,  who  was  famed 
for  her  beauty.  One  day  as  a  newly  arrived  British  regiment  was 
marching  up  Queen  (now  Court)  Street,  she  stood  on  a  balcony 
with  her  governess,  eagerly  watching  the  redcoats.  An  officer  who 
saw  her  was  struck  with  admiration,  and  exclaimed  to  a  friend, 
11  That  girl  seals  my  fate  ! "  And  so  it  proved.  He  sought  her 
acquaintance,  made  her  his  bride,  and  took  her  to  England  before 
the  war  began.  They  had  a  happy  home  in  Devonshire,  and  after- 
ward for  many  years  in  Dublin.  Captain  Ponsonby  Molesworth 
(for  that  was  his  name)  resigned  his  commission,  and  was  not 
obliged  to  fight  against  his  wife's  countrymen.* 

Another  daughter,  Margaret  Sheaffe,  married  John  R.  Living- 
ston, of  Livingston  Manor.  She,  too,  was  remarkably  beautiful, 
and  attracted  the  attention  of  Lafayette,  who  afterward  sent  her  a 
costly  present,  which  was  long  preserved  as  an  heirloom  in  the 


*  In  one  of  her  letters,  written  during  the  war,  Mrs.  Molesworth  regrets  that  her  mother  is 
obliged  to  remain  in  that  "riotous  Boston,"  where  "the  misguided  rebels  are  giving  such  trouble 
to  our  good  King  George."  In  another  letter,  written  from  Dublin  in  1784,  she  says  :  "  They  are 
beginning  the  Boston  tricks  here,  any  one  who  imports  or  wears  anything  but  Irish  manufacture, 
are  immediately  Tar'd  and  featherd.  this  Day  a  pretty  milliner  was  strip't  down  to  her  waist,  tar'd 
and  featherd,  and  were  they  not  prevented  in  time,  wou'd  set  fire  to,  or  hang  the  poor  Creatures." 
Under  date  of  1774,  the  same  writer  inquires  of  her  mother,  at  her  husband's  request,  "whether 
indented  Servants  from  Ireland  will  go  off  well  in  New  England,  he  intending  when  he  goes  to 
Charter  out  a  Vessel]  ;  and  Can  have  as  many  Irish  Lads&  Lasses  as  he  pleases  at  no  more  expence 
than  their  maintenance  on  the  passage,  he  Selling  their  indentures  on  his  Arrival." 


The  Sheaffe  House.  401 

family.  The  youngest  daughter,  Helen  Sheaffe,  married  (1793) 
James  Smith  Lovell,  son  of  the  usher  of  the  Latin  School.  Their 
daughter  Helen  became  the  wife  of  the  late  Henry  Loring,  of 
Brookline. 

Madam  Sheaffe  was  especially  honored  in  her  son,  who  became 
Lieutenant-General    Sir   Roger   Hale   Sheaffe,    Bart.     They  were 


living  in  this  house  of  her  father's  on  Essex  Street  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Earl  Percy,  who  had  his  quarters 
here,  became  much  interested  in  the  lad ;  and  as  his  mother  was 
now  a  widow  and  in  needy  circumstances,  he  was  inclined  to  ren- 
der them  some  assistance.  After  dinner,  one  day,  he  turned  to 
Roger  and  said,  "  Your  health,  Captain  Sheaffe."  "  I  hope  it  will 
not  be  long  before  your  lordship  can  call  me  so  in  reality,"  replied 
the  boy.  This  ready  response  so  pleased  the  Earl  that  he  said, 
"  Which  would  you  prefer, — a  red  coat  or  a  blue  one?"  "I  think  I 
should  prefer  a  red  one,"  said  Roger.  "You  shall  have  it,"  said 
Percy.  And  true  to  his  word,  he  sent  him  to  a  military  academy 
in  England,  where  the  young  man  acquitted  himself  so  well  that 
his  success  was  assured.     With  the  aid  of  his  patron  *  and  by  his 


*  Lord  Percy  and  his  family  continued  to  extend  personal  kindness  to  Sheaffe  as  long  as  he 
lived.  A  letter  from  Sir  Roger,  dated  Edinburgh,  1832,  says :  "  I  spent  several  weeks  .  .  .  this 
year  at  Alnwick  Castle  with  the  D.  of  N.,  and  was  in  high  health  and  activity,  walking  through  his 
woods  with  my  gun  for  many  hours  at  a  time  and  killing  at  least  my  portion  of  the  game,  and  I  do 
not  despair  of  being  in  good  condition  by  the  middle  of  Septr  to  take  the  field  again  on  a  manor 
of  the  Duke's  that  I  have  annually  visited  since  I  first  came  to  Edinb :  in  1817.  One  season  my 
old  aide  de  camp  L.  Col:  B.  R.  Loring  was  there  with  me." 


402 


The  SJieaffe  House. 


own  inherent  worth,  he  rose  step  by  step  to  the  highest  honors. 
For  many  years  he  was  the  sole  support  of  his  widowed  mother, 
whom  he  visited  several  times  after  he  had  taken  up  his  residence 
in  Great  Britain.  She  sold  the  old  homestead,  in  1782,  to  Moses 
Wallach,  armorer,  who  lived  in  it  nearly  half  a  century.  Since 
then  it  has  passed  through  different  hands,  and  now  at  last  it 
has  given  place  to  a  new  brick  block,  and  will  ere  long  be  for- 
gotten, like  many  of  its  owners ;  but  as  an  example  of  a  fine  old 
Boston  home  of  the  last  century,  and  as  the  cradle  of  a  wide-spread 
and  distinguished  family,  it  deserves  a  place  in  these  rambles. 


NDEX 


Abbott,  Benjamin,  house  and  bequest,  116. 

Abbott  Hall,  116. 

Abington,  Mass.,  chaise-hire,  330. 

Abrahams,  Benjamin,  house,  287. 

Abrams,  William,  a  centenarian,  125. 

Adams,  President  John  :  bust,  58 ;  adherents, 
70. 

Adams,  John,  house,  117. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  portrait,  57. 

Adams,  Philip,  house,  109. 

Adams  Residence,  107-110.     (See  Wells.) 

Adams,  Samuel  :  stirring  speeches,  12  ;  governor- 
ship, 13;  portrait,  57;  interview  with  Revere, 
98,  99;  club,  272;  request,  325;  grave,  370; 
heading  committee,  393. 

Adams,  Thomas,  estate,  124. 

Adan  Estate,  349. 

Adan,  John  R.,  positions,  348. 

African  Joe,  violin,  68. 

Agassiz,  Louis :  fossils  reconstructed,  344 ;  lit- 
erary resort,  386. 

Air-furnace,  Revere 's,  324. 

Aldermen,  London,  204. 

Ale,  sold  in  English  fashion,  358. 

Alger,  Rev.  William  R.,  pastorate,  299. 

Allen  &  Ticknor,  bookstore,  385. 

Allyne  House,  architecture,  87. 

Alnwick  Castle,  401. 

Amblard,  the  tailor,  69. 

American  Army,  organized,  12. 

American  Authors,  aided,  385. 

American  Cities,  characteristics,  383. 

America,  the  hymn,  157. 

Amherst  College,  Beecher,  260. 

Amory,  Jonathan,  residence,  296. 

Amory,  Thomas  C,  aid,  x. 


Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company: 
founders,  10 ;  armory,  58  ;  charter-member, 
68;    drummer,   100 ;    Major  Bray,   153. 

Ancient  Tunnel  {g.  v.)y  265-267. 

Ancient  Weathercock  {q.v.):  paper,  332-338; 
Croswell's  poem,  332,  333 ;  material  and  eyes, 
333;  repairs,  333,  334;  liberality,  335;  verses 
from  the  Latin,  335-338.     (See  Vanes.) 

Anderson,  John  F.,  aid,  x. 

Andirons,  brass,  207. 

Andover,  Mass.,  political  meeting,  99. 

Andrew,  John  Albion,  portrait,  57. 

Andros,  Lady,  grave,  370. 

Andros,  Sir  Edmund:  governorship,  10;  trou- 
bles, 255;  interest  in  Chapel,  365;  demand, 
392. 

Anne,  Queen  :  birthday,  96;  reign,  366. 

Ann  Street :  a  mission,  307  ;  vane,  333 ;  draw- 
bridge, 349  ;  inn  and  mail,  350. 

Ann-Streeters,  fight,  257. 

Antiquarian  Authority,  268. 

Apothecary's  Corner,  384. 

Appleton,  Lydia,  marriage,  109. 

Appleton,  Miss  G.,  aid,  x. 

Appleton,  Mrs.,  gift  of  vane,  377. 

Appleton's  Journal,  article  in,  71. 

Appleton  Tablet,  368. 

Apprentices,  call  to,  99. 

Apthorp,  the  rich  merchant,  368. 

Archaeological  Institute,  honorary  membership, 
99. 

Archibald,  the  apothecary,  240. 

Arch,  by  the  waterside,  265-267. 

Architecture  :  old  specimens  in  Boston,  vii,  87  ; 
wooden,  81  ;  on  Prince  Street,  115  ;  churches, 
166;   contrasts,  293;  model,  311  ;  Dutch,  320. 


406 


Index. 


Argus,  the  brig,  187.     (See  Ships.) 

Armstrong,  Samuel,  house,  300. 

Artillery  Company,  Atwood,  285. 

Artillery,  new  regiment,  324. 

Aspinwall  House,  architecture,  87. 

Aspinwall,  Samuel:  house,  157;  Foster  Street, 
258. 

Astor's  Fur-trade,  287. 

Asylum  for  Indigent  Boys:  location,  134,268; 
secretary,  273. 

Athenaeum,  Boston,  librarian,  298. 

Atkins,  Captain  Henry,  house  and  position,  284. 

Atkins,  Gibbs  (Gibbes)  :  gifts,  311,  328;  auto- 
graph, 314. 

Atkins,  Martha  (Mrs.  Gray),  194. 

Atkins,  Silas,  house,  125,  194. 

Atkins,  Thomas  G.,  house,  109. 

Atlantic  Avenue,  a  short  cut  to,  25. 

Atwood,  Charles,  aid,  x. 

Atwood,  Deacon  John,  character,  284,  285. 

Atwood,  John,  Jr.,  home,  285. 

Atwood's  Oyster-house,  23- 

Auckley,  Samuel,  230. 

Auctions,  bell  used,  359. 

Austin,  Benjamin,  Jr.,  political  influence,  90. 

Austin,  Charles,  killed,  90. 

Austin,  Joseph,  bakery,  286. 

Austin,  Samuel:   gift,  128;  autograph,  329. 

Austin's  Buckle-shop,  no.     (See  Buckles.) 

Avis  Family,  house,  231. 

Ayer,  Dr.  Joseph  C,  house,  287. 

Ayres,  Captain,  pilot,  282. 

Back  Bay,  settled,  157. 

Back  Street,  original  condition,  107. 

Bacon,  Rev.  John,  pastorate,  391. 

Badger,  David,  business,  116. 

Badger  House,  115-118. 

Badger,  Robert,  business,  116. 

Badger,  Thomas:   office  and  estate,  115;  crier, 

116;    house,  286. 
Bailey,  Rev  James,  grave,  370. 
Baker,  Alexander,  calker  {q.v.),  188. 
Baker,  John,  first  dentist,  321. 
Baker,  John,  privateer  property,  106. 
Baker,  Mrs.  Walter,  property,  313. 


Baker  the  Pilot,  282. 

Bakeries:  Kettell's,  no;  Prince  Street,  123,  124; 

Snelling's,  158. 
Baldwin,  Mrs.  Dr.,  charity,  125. 
Baldwin,  Rev.  Thomas,  pastorate,  188. 
Ballad  of  French  Fleet,  392. 
Ballard,  Daniel,  house,  190. 
Ballard  Family,  pew,  163. 
Ballast,  bricks,  204. 
Ball's  Alley,  location,  347. 
Baltic  Voyages,  207. 
Baluster,  carved,  300. 
Bangor,    Maine:   Thoreau  family,  117;   stages, 

35°- 
Bangs,  Captain  Niles  C,  house,  300. 
Bangs,  Elisha :   house  bought,  autograph,  281  ; 

gift,  328. 
Banisters,  old,  118. 
Bank-records,  140. 
Baptismal  Basin,  gift,  109. 
Baptist  Bethel,  208. 
Baptist    Churches:    Charlestown,    171  ;    North 

End,  308. 
Baptists,  secret  meetings,  108. 
Barber,  John,  tradition,  152. 
Barber,  one  wanted,  167. 
Barbour,  John  N.,  assistance  from,  ix. 
Barnard,  Bartholomew  :  house,  312  ;  land,  319. 
Barnard,  Captain  Thomas :  friend  of  Newman, 

151 ;  tradition,  152. 
Barnard,  Captain  John,  career  and  death,  314. 
Barnard,  Captain  Josiah,  house,  287. 
Barnard,  Deacon  John,  house,  312. 
Barnard  Family  :  allusion,  282  ;  house,  314. 
Barnard,  Rev.  John,  sermon,  285. 
Barnes,  Miles,  gift,  328. 
Barnicoat,  William  :  fire  department,  241  ;  vane, 

333- 
Barre,  Colonel  Isaac,  portrait,  56. 
Barrett,  Deacon  John,  house,  228. 
Bartholomew,  the  artist,  viii. 
Bartlett,  James,  house,  no. 
Bassett,  Joseph,  houses,  229,  242. 
Bates,  J.  L.,  assistance  from,  ix. 
Bates,  Martin:  residences,  157,  286;  life,  287. 
Bath,  Order  of  the,  357. 
Baxter,  William  S.,  home,  232. 


Index. 


407 


Bayonet,  one  found,  123. 

Beacon  Hill,  new  State  House,  13. 

Beams,  stout,  269. 

Bean,  Horace,  profession  and  residence,  1 10. 

Beaufet,  superb,  249.     (See  Buffet.) 

Bedford  Street  Church,  331. 

Bedford  Street,  name  and  garden,  399. 

Bedgood,  Widdow,  pew,  163. 

Beecher,  Rev.  Henry  Ward  :  kicked,  258  ;  de- 
gree, anecdotes,  259;  character,  260. 

Beecher,  Rev.  Edward :  house,  189 ;  pastorate, 
219. 

Beecher,  Rev.  Lyman,  house,  157. 

Beer,  William,  estate,  115. 

Belcher,  Andrew,  merchant,  174. 

Belcher,  Jonathan  :  governorship,  11  ,  influence, 
167;  request,  174;  niece,  231. 

Belfry,  North,  172. 

Belknap  Family,  portraits,  214. 

Belknap,  Rev.  Jeremy,  grave,  370. 

Belknap  Street,  residents,  229,  230. 

Bell  Alley,  name,  331. 

Bell,  Deacon  William,  311. 

Bell,  Shubael,  gift,  168. 

Bell,  William,  gift,  328. 

Bell-foundry,  241. 

Bellingham,  Richard  :  governorship,  10 ;  grave, 
37o. 

Bell  in  Hand:  paper,  357-360;  date,  357. 

Bellomont,  Earl  of :  governorship,  10  ;  adminis- 
tration, 376. 

Bellows,  old,  231. 

Bells:  cast  by  Revere,  256;  in  North  Square, 
309;  Second  Church,  327-331;  history,  327, 
328,  330  ;  cost,  328,  330 ;  signatures,  329  ;  lo- 
cations, 330,  331  ;  first,  331.     (See  Chimes  )  * 

Belts,  in  architecture,  313. 

Bennet  Avenue,  narrow,  117. 

Bennet,  Peter,  199. 

Bennet,  Richard,  land,  199,  216. 

Bennet's  Pasture,  226. 

Bennet  Street:  school,  140,  142,  231  ;  buildings, 
205;  corner,  210,  219;  pathway,  230;  Bates 
house,  287.     (See  North.) 

Bennet  Street  Engine  Company,  243. 

Bennett,  Joshua,  estate,  238. 

Bennit  Family,  pew,  163. 


Benolt,  Thomas,  45. 

Bentley,  Rev.  William,  house,  157. 

Berkeley,  Bishop,  voyage,  366. 

Bernard,  Francis:  governorship,  12;  refusal  to 
recognize  the  convention,  55,  56. 

Bernard,  Sir  Scrope,  scholarship,  347. 

Berry,  Joseph,  wife,  228. 

Berry,  Thomas,  marriage,  295. 

Bethel,  Seamen's,  location,  314. 

Betton,  Ninian  C,  house,  190. 

Beteilhe,  F.,  clerk,  166.     (See  Petel.) 

Bible:  gift,  167;  size,  174;  antique,  227;  Byles, 
231. 

Billy  Gray's  (q.  v.)  Wharf,  game,  259. 

Binney,  Amos,  land-purchase,  297. 

Binney,  Matthew:  assistance  from,  ix;  house, 
no. 

Bissell,  Joseph  :  founder  of  Christ  Church,  109  ; 
pew,  163. 

Bite  Tavern  (q.  v.),  82. 

Black,  David,  house,  180. 

Black  Horse  Lane,  117. 

Blackstone  Bank,  building,  100. 

Blackstone  Street:  intersection,  31  ;  how  made, 
116  ;  bridge,  346. 

Blagden,  Rev.  George  W. :  house,  157;  pastor- 
ate, 219,  391. 

Blair,  Rev.  Samuel,  pastorate,  391. 

Blake,  John  H.,  aid,  x. 

Blight  Family,  ancestors,  313. 

Blockade  of  Boston,  a  farce,  56. 

Block  Island,  encounter  at,  180. 

Blood-stains,  on  floor,  296,  297. 

Blount,  Anthony  :  pew,  163  ;  autograph,  169. 

Blown-up  Tower,  241. 

Blue  Ball,  sign,  351. 

Bluffs,  at  the  North  End  and  Harbor,  192. 

Boarding-house,  American,  320. 

Boardman,  Darius,  house,  no. 

Boltwood,  Mrs.  Fanny  Haskins,  aid,  ix. 

Bonner's  Map,  225. 

Book  of  Possessions,  199. 

Bordman  &  Son,  gift,  328. 

Bordman,  William,  signature,  329. 

Boston,  a  frigate,  187.     (See  Ships.) 

Boston  Alleys,  objection  to,  272. 

Boston  Antiquaries,  Pemberton,  349. 


408 


Index. 


Boston  Bank,  teller,  273. 

Boston  Bells  (q.  v.) :  participation  in  history, 
330;  first,  331. 

Boston  Benefactors,  Mr.  Paddy,  347. 

Boston  Cemeteries,  191,  369,  370.  (See  Copp's, 
Granary,  Knig's.) 

Boston  Characteristics,  chief,  383. 

Boston  Collector,  Sheaffe,  400. 

Boston,  colonial  estate  so  named,  238. 

Boston  Common,  not  to  be  hired,  57. 

Boston  Encampment  of  Knights  Templars,  com 
mander,  273. 

Boston,  England,  Child  family,  399. 

Boston  Engraving,  170. 

Boston  Evacuation,  13,  56,  98,  123. 

Boston  Harbor:  edge,  180;  bluffs,  192. 

Boston  Heraldry,  rare,  45. 

Boston  Hills,  190. 

Boston  History:  a  pictorial,  10;  an  unwritten 
chapter,  257. 

Boston  Houses  :  overhanging  stories,  249 ;  old- 
est, 273;  primitive,  288;  Sheaffe's,  402. 

Boston  Huguenots  (q.v.),  48,  53. 

Bostonians :  fondness  for  the  Old  State  House, 
14:  interest  in  signs,  357. 

Bostonian  Society  :  dedication,  v  ;  trust  confided 
to,  13;  Arms,  47 ;  vane,  58;  cane,  143;  coffee- 
mill  and  lock,  227  ;  Mercury,  351. 

Boston  Landmarks,  lost,  294. 

Boston  Life,  earlier,  365. 

Boston  Light,  208. 

Boston  Massacre  :  oration,  274  ;  occurrence,  322 ; 
anniversary,  322,  323  ;  graves  of  victims,  370  ; 
meetings,  393. 

Boston  Men,  largest,  295. 

Boston  Merchants,  homes,  256. 

Boston  Ministers,  graves,  369,  370. 

Boston  Museum  :  waxworks,  142 ;  bust  of  Tile- 
ston,  143. 

Boston  Passage-ways,  old,  31. 

Boston  People,  noteworthy,  109. 

Boston  Physicians  :   female,  282  ;  dentistry,  321. 

Boston  Pilot-boat  {q.  v.),  282. 

Boston  Regiment:  training-day,  96;  major,  296. 

Boston  Settlers,  of  1632,  343. 

Boston  Ships  (//.  7>  ),  best,  320. 

Boston  Shipwrights,  187,  190. 


Boston  Siege,  56,  80,  81,  123. 

Boston  Signs  (q.  v.)  :  60,  68,  72;  old,  343;  very 
interesting,  357. 

Boston  Stables  {q-v.),  first  brick,  286. 

Boston  Stone,  history,  39,  40. 

Boston  Stores,  old,  383. 

Boston  Streets,  239. 

Boston  Town  and  City  :  dramas,  156;  firewood, 
296 ;  conspicuous  object,  332 ;  treasure,  343 ; 
heart  of  business,  357  ;  Revolutionary  changes, 
367;  Washington's  visit,  384;  rebellious  meet- 
ings, 392  ;  triumphal  entry,  393,  394 ;  riotous, 
400. 

Boston  Vote,  reported,  323. 

Boston  Youth,  hearts  fired,  322. 

Bowditch,  on  Judge  Sewall,  179. 

Bowdoin,  James  :  governorship,  13;  grave,  370. 

Boylston  Professorship,  297,  298. 

Boys,  in  church,  169.     (See  Children.) 

Brackett,  Hannah,  housekeeper,  242. 

Bradford,  Colonel,  scholarship,  347. 

Bradlee,  David,  estate,  81. 

Bradstreet,  Simon,  governorship,  10. 

Braintree,  Mass.,  quarries,  367. 

Brasson  (?)  Family,  pew,  163. 

Brass-works,  Revere's,  256. 

Brass-work,  vane,  utensils,  333. 

Brattle  Square  Church  :  organ,  366;  lost,  368. 

Brattle  Street  Church,  pastor,  97. 

Brattle,  Thomas:  organ,  366;  grave,  369. 

Bray,  Major  John:  position,  153;  habits,  154; 
allusion,  282. 

Bray's  Wharf,  location,  153. 

Brazer,  William,  hotel,  70. 

Bremen,  Maine,  283. 

Brewer's  Hill,  name,  255. 

Brewery,  46. 

Brick  :  English  (q.  7/.),  81,  82,  120;  in  tavern,  96; 
wall,  117;  house,  124;  Sheafe  Street,  149; 
tenement,  153;  sheathing  outside,  156;  filling, 
180;  English  bond,  171,  265;  building,  216  j 
imported,  225 ;  stable,  286 ;  North  End,  383. 

Bridge,  Ebenezer,  house,  108. 

Bridge,  Rev.  Christopher,  pastorate,  368. 

Bridge,  Rev.  Thomas,  grave,  369. 

Bridge,  William  S.,  house,  190. 

Brigantine,  a  novel,  71. 


Index. 


409 


Brigham,  Peter  B.,  first  oysters,  275. 

Briggs,  James,  shipbuilder,  194. 

Brimmer  Family,  estate,  384,  385. 

Bristol,  Maine,  283. 

British  Army,  Ochterlony,  347. 

British  Bullets,  marks,  295.     (See  English.) 

British  Hospital,  article  on,  123-126. 

British  Man  of  War,  dastardly  deed,  314. 

British  Ministry,  oppressive,  322. 

British  Officers,  attending  church,  366. 

British  Throne,  shaken,  391. 

British  Troops  in  Boston:  movements,  12,  13; 
arrival  expected,  55  ;  bones  found,  123 ;  dam- 
ages, 123,  124  ;  officers  quartered  in  the  New- 
man house,  150,  151  ;  proposals  for  bread,  158; 
making  a  target  of  gravestones,  182  ;  impu- 
dence, 268,  269 ;  McKean,  297;  drilling,  310  ; 
destroying  a  church,  328  ;  romantic  marriage, 
400. 

Brockwell,  Rev.  Charles,  pastorate,  368 

Brookline,  Mass. :  a  resident,  81  ;  houses,  87  ; 
travel  through,  126  ;  weather-vane,  377  ;  Loring 
family,  401. 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Cary  family,  242. 

Bronze  Tablets,  369,  370. 

Brown,  Benjamin,  trade,  115. 

Brown,  Captain  Alexander,  agent,  351. 

Brown,  Elizabeth,  school,  284. 

Brown  Family,  pew,  163. 

Brown,  Fred.,  game,  258. 

Brown,  Hannah,  school,  284. 

Brown,  Samuel,  house,  230. 

Brownstown,  Battle  of,  158. 

Bruce  Family,  ancestors,  313. 

Bruce  the  Pilot,  282. 

Buck,  Dr.,  house,  157.  [Austin.) 

Buckles:  fashionable,  no  ;  for  shoes,  143.     (See 

Buffet,  picture,  302.     (See  Beanfet.) 

Bulfinch,  Charles:  architect,  171  ;  grave,  369. 

Bulfinch  Street  Church,  union,  299. 

Bullivant,  Dr.,  Episcopalian,  365. 

Bunch  of  Grapes,  sign,  351. 

Bunker  Hill:  battle  immortal,  12;  Pitcairn 
wounded,  131 ;  Gage's  headquarters,  180;  seen 
from  Christ  Church,  170 ;  batteries  against, 
191;  seen  from  Charter  Street,  243;  hospital, 
296 ;  Warren,  393. 


Bunker  Hill  Monument,  corner-stone,  273. 
Buttonwood  Trees,  burned,  393. 
Burgess,  the  title,  286. 
Burgoyne,  General,  his  farce,  56. 
Burlingame,  Anson,  portrait,  57. 
Burnet,  William,  governorship,  11. 
Burns,  Mrs.,  charity,  125. 
Burrill,  Rev.  John  T.,  rectorate,  169. 
Burrill,  Samuel,  house,  156. 
Burroughs,  Rev.  Henry,  rectorate,  169. 
Burrows,  Captain  William,  house,  241. 
Burt  the  Pilot,  282. 

Busts,  in  Faneuil  Hall,  58.     (See  Washington.) 
Busybody,  The,  a  comedy,  56. 
Butler,  Matthew,  street,  225. 
Butler,  Peter,  warehouse,  267. 
Buttrick,  Abiel,  house,  156. 
Buttrick,  Cyrus,  house,  275. 
Buxton,  Sir  Thomas  Fowell,  189. 
Byles,  Josiah,  home,  231. 
Byles,  Rev.  Mather,  birthplace  and  life,  231. 
Byles,    Rev.    Mather,   Jr.:    rectorate,    168;   dis- 
missed, 172. 
Byles,  the  Misses,  231. 
Byron,  Lord,  quoted,  181. 


Cabot,  Miss  C.  E. :  assistance  from,  ix ;  pos- 
sessing a  miniature,  158. 

Cadets,  Colonel  of,  313. 

Calkers,  at  North  End,  124,  188,  217,  239.  (See 
Caucus. ) 

Cambridge  Bridge,  built,  126.    (See  West  Boston.) 

Cambridge,  Mass.:  travel,  126;  vane,  334 ;  the 
president's  house,  399. 

Cambridge  Street,  corner,  90. 

Campbell,  William,  landlord,  272. 

Canada  :  church  in,  167  ;  Coffin  family,  400 

Canal  House,  site,  116. 

Canals:  Holland,  87;  Massachusetts,  116. 

Cane,  Major,  quoted,  204. 

Cane,  Tileston's,  143. 

Caner,  Rev.  Henry:  flight,  367;  pastorate,  368. 

Cannon:  a  fragment,  124;  how  used,  124;  Re- 
vere, 256. 

Canton,  Mass.,  Revere  works,  256. 

Cape  Cod,  men  from,  320. 


4io 


Index. 


Capen  Family,  home,  33. 
Capen,  Hopestill,  33. 
Capen,  Thomas,  dry-goods,  33. 
Caricatures,  Revolutionary,  322. 
Carleton,  Osgood,  plan  drawn  by,  jj,  81. 
Carnes,  Colonel  John,  estate,  349. 
Carnes,  William  R.,  house,  287. 
Carpenter,  George,  house,  242. 
Carpenter,  George  O.  :  aid,  x;  birthplace,  242. 
Carpenter,  Richard,  in  the  Revolution,  242. 
Carroll  Place,  corner,  no. 
Carr,  Sir  Robert,  assault,  294. 
Carruth,  Nathan,  house,  287. 
Carter  &  Hendee,  bookstore,  385. 
Carter,  Robert,  chirography,  143. 
Carving,  beautiful,  300. 
Cary  &  Brown,  242. 
Cary,  Isaac  H.,  242. 

Cary,  Jonathan:  business,  200;  house,  242. 
Cary,  John,  landlord,  96. 
Cary  Library,  242. 

Cary,  Maria  Hastings,  generosity,  242. 
Cary,  Rev.  Samuel,  pastorate,  368. 
Cary,  William  H.,  242. 
Caucus,  organized,  272. 
Causeway.     (See  Charles  River.) 
Cazneau,  Elizabeth,  marriage,  80. 
Cazneau,  Isaac,  occupation,  80. 
Cazneau,  Paix,  father  and  son,  80. 
Cazneau,  Susannah,  marriage,  80. 
Cedar-wood,  in  building,  391. 
Cellars  :  two,  269  ;  arches,  346. 
Cemeteries,  191. 

Centinel,  The,  newspaper,  69,  241. 
Centre  Street:  old  house,  346;  inn,  350. 
Centry  Hill,  name,  384. 
Chadbourn,  Humphrey,  house,  243. 
Chains,  in  front  of  house,  241. 
I  I i.ii is,  old,  227. 
Chaise-house,  399. 
Chamberlain,  Master,  school,  99. 
Champney,  Caleb,  estate,  115. 
Chancery  Lane,  London,  31. 
Chandelier,  in  Christ  Church  [q.  v.),  167. 
Chandler,  Alexander  S.,  residence,  249. 
Chandler,  Dr.  Thomas  H. :    aid,  x  ;  birthplace, 
249. 


Chandler,  Joseph,  house,  240. 

Charity:  by  cripples,  188,  189;  genuine,  285,  286. 

Charles  I.,  England  under,  368. 

Charles  II. :  revocation  of  charter,  238 ;  com- 
missioners, 294. 

Charles  River  :  causeway,  96  ;  view,  190  ;  frozen, 
257- 

Charlestown  Bridge:  opening,  126,  168;  third 
house  from,  134;  fish,  275  ;  mail,  350. 

Charlestown  Ferry,  123,  131,  133,  237. 

Charlestown,  Mass.:  travel  to,  96;  hearing  the 
chimes,  168;  steeple,  170;  seen  from  Christ 
Church,  172;  destroyed,  191;  streets,  205; 
view  of,  243;  footpath,  255;  glimpses  from 
Foster  Street,  257;  independent,  257;  canal 
terminus,  359. 

Charlestown  Pigs,  name,  257. 

Charlestown  Square,  205. 

Charnock,  Captain  John,  house,  202. 

Charters  :  of  William  and  Mary,  237  ;  concealed, 

237- 
Charter  Street:  asylum,  134;  houses,  187,  238- 

244 ;  neighborhood,  225  ;  essay,  233-244;  name, 

237  ;  Clough  house,  249;  Foster  Street,  255; 

east  corner,  269 ;    McKean's,  297  ;    Revere's 

house,  320. 
Chatham  Street,  location  and  name,  153. 
Checkley,  Anthony  :  house,  312;  land,  319. 
Checkley,  Rev.  Samuel,  Jr.,  pastorate,  310. 
Cheever  Family,  tunnel,  266,  267. 
Chelmsford,  Mass.,  canal,  359. 
Chelsea  Ferry:  fishing,  275;  two  boats,  276. 
Chelsea,  Mass. :  mayor,  157  ;  chimes  heard,  168  ; 

view,  243. 
Cherubim,  carved,  166. 
Cherubs,  carved,  249. 
Cheverus,  Bishop,  69. 
Chicago,  Illinois,  energy,  383. 
Child,  Captain  Thomas,  distiller,  399. 
Child  Family,  399,  400. 
Child,  Thomas  and  Katherine  :  initials,  46;  their 

property,  46,  47. 
Child,  Thomas,  Jr.,  position,  399,  400. 
Child,  Thomas,  painter,  47. 

Children  :  many,  215  ;  in  church,  309.   (See  Boys.) 
Children's  Friend  Society,  building,  125. 
Chilton,  Mary,  grave,  369. 


Index. 


411 


Chimes,  168.     (See  Bells,  Christ  Church.) 
Chimneys  :  antique,  47,  48  ;  one  for  two  houses, 

88;    huge,    108;    four,   117;  very  large,  123; 

panelled,  149,  217;  secret  staircase,  283. 
Chimney-sweeps,  301,  302. 
Chimney-work :  excellent  specimen,  26 ;  panels, 

249,  3l3- 

Chirography,  taught  in  schools,  139-141.  (See 
Writing. ) 

Choate,  Rufus,  portrait,  57  ;  anecdote,  357. 

Christ  Church  :  sermon,  97  ;  founders,  109 ;  or- 
ganist, 150;  sexton,  150,  151  ;  the  Revere  lan- 
terns, 150-152;  plan  of  pews,  163;  article  on, 
165-174;  age  and  chimes,  165;  changes,  166; 
bequest,  167;  ornaments,  closed,  168;  rectors, 
168,  169;  autographs,  169;  Sunday-school, 
170;  steeple,  170,  171  ;  name,  171,  172;  poem, 
173;  plate,  174;  neighborhood,  179;  erection, 
180;  warden,  182;  rear,  229;  piratical  bene- 
factor, 267  ;  wooden  wall,  377. 

Christening  Cap,  203. 

Christmas,  marriage  on,  188. 

Chronicle,  The,  communications  to,  90. 

Church-architecture  (q.  v.),  early,  299. 

Churches:  North  End,  157;  on  Bennet  Street, 
199.  (See  Baptist,  Bedford,  Christ,  First, 
King's  Chapel,  Methodist,  New,  North,  Old, 
Sandemanian,  Second. ) 

Churchman,  Sir  Thomas,  149. 

Church  of  England:  in  Boston,  165;  adherents, 
365 ;  services,  392. 

Church-records,  handwriting,  140. 

Church-seats:  Christ,  163;  Old  North,  299. 

Church's  Oration,  393. 

Church-windows  {q.v.),  oval,  293. 

Cincinnatus,  example,  283. 

City  Clerk,  first  holders  of  the  office,  125. 

City  Government,  organized,  125. 

City  Hall  :  in  Old  State  House,  13;  plans  kept 
there,  80  ;  land,  384. 

City  Hall  Politicians,  357. 

City  Point,  Simpson's  residence,  too 

Clap,  Captain  Roger,  369. 

Clarencieux,  England,  45. 

Clark  &  Brazier,  vane,  334. 

Clark,  Captain  William  F.,  house,  189. 

Clark  Family,  coat-of-arms,  192. 


Clark-Frankland  Estate,  284. 

Clark,  Joseph,  gift,  328. 

Clark    Street:    and   North,  294;    church,  299; 

paper,  300. 
Clark,  William,  choice  of  pew,  327. 
Clarke,  John,  burial-place,  191. 
Clarke,  Jonas  :  land,  199,  216;  estate,  281. 
Clarke,  Captain  Thomas,  trustee,  319. 
Clarke,  Dr.  Samuel,  store,  385. 
Clarke,  Elizabeth,  marriage,  312. 
Clarke,  Major  Thomas,  wealth,  312. 
Clarke,  Rev.  James  Freeman,  father,  385. 
Clarke,  Rev.  Robert,  pastorate,  368. 
Clarke's  Square,  name,  312. 
Clarke's  Wharf,  321. 
Claw  Feet,  for  furniture,  206. 
Clock :  Faneuil  Hall,  58  ;  Christ  Church,  167  ; 

new,  171  ;  North  Square,  309;  Second  Church, 

327.     (See  Master  Tileston.) 
Close,  defined,  216. 
Closet,  secret,  297.     (See  Buffet.) 
Clothes:  a  centenarian's,  125  ;  Master  Johnny's, 

H3- 

Clothes-brushes,  old,  358. 

Clough,  Benjamin,  the  father:  house,  153;  es- 
tate and  slaves,  155. 

Clough,  Benjamin,  the  son,  inheritance,  155. 

Clough,  Ebenezer:  selectman,  180;  street,  225 ; 
land,  226. 

Clough,  Faith,  death,  155. 

Clough,  Thankful,  land,  226. 

Clough,  William:  family,  155;  land,  238 ;  house, 
249. 

Clubs,  patriotic,  322. 

Coal,  first  used,  217.     (See  Fuel,  Wood.) 

Coats-of-arms :  in  cemetery,  192;  Hutchinson, 
205. 

Cocke,  Joseph,  family,  343. 

Cocke,  Nicholas,  land,  238. 

Cocke,  Susannah,  marriage,  343. 

Cockerel  Church,  171. 

Cockerel  Vane:  maker,  58;  paper,  332-338; 
allusion,  377.     (See  Ancient.) 

Codfish,  caught,  275. 

Codman,  Colonel  John,  estate,  349. 

Coffee-houses  :  English,  71 ;  Crown,  80. 

Coffee-mill,  old,  227. 


4I2 


Index. 


Coffin,   Admiral  Sir  Isaac:    relative,   202;    his 

scholarship,  347. 
Coffin,  Charles,  daughter  of,  140. 
Coffin,  Isabella  (Child),  marriage,  400. 
Coffin,  John,  wife,  400. 
Coffin,  Lydia,  marriage,  140,  202,  203. 
Coffin,  Sarah,  202. 

Cole,  Samuel:  innkeeper,  67  ;  prominence,  68. 
Coles,  John,  gift,  328. 
Collamore  (see  Cullimer),  312. 
Collector  of  the  Port,  194. 
Colonial  Charter,  repealed,  392. 
Colonial  Liberty,  encroachments,  392. 
Colonial  Seal,  Indian,  377. 
Colony,  its  evil  genius,  344. 
Columbian  Artillery  Company:  a  founder,  153, 

154 ;  gunhouse,  181. 
Columbia  River,  discovered,  194. 
Columbia,  ship,  194. 
Columbia  Street,  old  house,  399. 
Commencement  Day,  vacation,  141. 
Commercial  Street :  enlarged,  25  ;  old  name,  237  ; 

corner  house,  256;  waterside  arch,  265;  laid 

out,  348. 
Commissioners,  royal,  294. 
Common:  barracks  on  the,  227;  boyish  fights, 

257;  drill,  310;  gale,  312;  new  hay,  359;  ex- 
cellence, 383. 
Common  Council,  president,  348. 
Commonwealth  Avenue,  homes,  272. 
Conant,  Colonel,  tradition,  152. 
Conant,  Levi,  house,  157. 
Conant,  Peter,  teacher,  143. 
Concert  Hall,  oysters,  275. 
Concord  Boating  Company,  116. 
Concord,    Mass.:    the  fight,   12,   173;   Thoreau 

family,  117. 
Concord,  N.  H.,  granite  from,  116. 
Condy,  Jeremiah,  house,  312. 
Conflagration:    (in    1810),   201;    (of   1715),   216. 

(See  Fires.) 
Congress,  a  vote  of  thanks,  284. 
Congress  Square,  office,  358. 
Connecticut:  \Y  adsworths,  344;  governors,  369. 
Constitution,  a  frigate,  187. 
Constitution,  new,  325. 
Constitution  Wharf,  188. 


Continental    Army,   pay,    32.      (See   American, 

Revolutionary  War.) 
Continental  Congress,  news  carried  to,  323,  324. 
Continental  Rooms,  suite,  375. 
Conway,  General  Thomas,  portrait,  56. 
Cook  Family,  ancestry,  313. 
Cooley,  Henry,  house,  312. 
Coombs  the  Pilot,  282. 
Coomey,  Benjamin,  residence,  230. 
Cooper,  Judge,  scholarship,  347. 
Cooper,  Mehitable,  bequest  to,  96. 
Cooper's  Naval  History,  quoted,  180. 
Cooper  Street:  allusion,  109;  corner,  no. 
Cooper,  William,  pastorate  and  property,  97. 
Copeland,  Ephraim,  charity,  144. 
Copley,  John  Singleton  :    paintings,  57  ;  watch- 
ing  Drowne,   61  ;    portrait  of   Hancock,  68 ; 
portraits,  215;  miniatures,  321  ;  frames,  322. 
Copper  Sheathing,  324. 
Copper-works,  Revere's,  256. 
Copp,   Elder  David:  family  burials,    192,    193; 

wife,  192. 
Copp,  Obedience,  name  on  tombstone,  193. 
Copp,  Widow,  house,  133. 

Copp,  William:  house,  117;  hill,  190;  son,  192. 
Copp,  William,  the  grandson,  285. 
Copp's   Hill:    a  gunhouse,    154;  location,   172; 
Hartt  family,  188;  name,  190;  elevation,  192; 
promenade,  193;  game,  259. 
Copp's  Hill  Burying-ground :  location,  179;  an- 
nex, 181 ;  stones  used  for  targets,  182  ;  tablet, 
191 ;  stones,  192  ;  as  a  resort,  230;  street  ad- 
jacent, 237,  243,  244 ;  large  man  and  mutilated 
stone,  295  ;  arms,  312. 
Copp's-Hillers,  settling  score,  257. 
Cordwell  Family,  ancestry,  313. 
Cordwell,  William  :  house  bought,  281  ;  allusion, 

282 ;  vane,  333. 
Corinthian  Pillars,  206. 
Corn  Court,  article  on,  67-72. 
Corney  Family,  pew,  163. 
Cornfields,  sign  of  the,  33. 

Cornhill  :  when  occupied,  82;  Revere,  326;  post- 
office  and  sign,  351. 
Corn  Market :  well  known,  67  ;  location,  77. 
Cornwallis,  General,  surrender,  170. 
Corpse  Hill,  190.     (See  Copfs.) 


Index. 


413 


Cotton,  Rev.  John :  establishing  lecture,  53 ; 
grave,  369. 

Cotton,  Rev.  John,  of  New  Hampshire,  349. 

Council  Chamber :  confided  to  Bostonian  So- 
ciety, v,  13  ;  massacre  beneath  its  windows, 
12;  Declaration  read,  13;  sign,  352.  (See 
City  Hall,  State  House.) 

Council  Dinner,  96,  97. 

Council  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  294. 

Couriers,  letters,  324. 

Court  House,  State  House  so  called,  11. 

Court  of  Common  Pleas,  judge  of,  108,  109. 

Court  Square,  neighborhood,  357. 

Court  Street,  name,  400. 

Cradle  of  Liberty,  name,  55.    (See  Faneuil  Hall.) 

Cradock  House,  windows,  293. 

Crafts,  a  carpenter,  219. 

Crafts'  New  Regiment,  324. 

Craster  Family,  pew,  163. 

Creek  Lane,  short  cut,  40. 

Creek  Square,  33. 

Creese,  Dr.  Thomas,  building,  384. 

Crocker,  Captain  John,  ship,  174. 

Crocker  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Crocker,  Hannah,  tunnel,  266. 

Cromwell's  Head,  Tavern,  384. 

Crookford  Family,  pew,  163. 

Cross,  church  ornament,  335. 

Croswell,  Rev.  William  :  house,  157  ;  rectorate, 
169  ;  verses,  332,  333. 

Crown:  and  colonial  troubles,  12;  encroach- 
ments, 392. 

Crown  Coffee-house,  meetings  there,  80. 

Crown  Point,  fortress,  321.  (See  British,  Eng- 
land.) 

Crown  Prince,  194. 

Cruft,  Captain  Jonathan,  house,  243. 

Cruft,  Edward,  house,  243. 

Cruft,  Foster,  house,  242. 

Cullimer  (Collamore),  Isaac,  house,  312. 

Gumming,  Rev.  Alexander,  pastorate,  391. 

Cunningham  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Cupola,  lantern,  376. 

Cupples,  Upham,  &  Co.,  bookstore,  386. 

Curtis  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Curtis  Tablet,  368. 

Cushing,  Benjamin,  house,  230. 


Cushing,  Lieutenant-Governor  Thomas,  grave, 

37°- 
Cushing,  Samuel  N.,  house,  239. 
Cushman,  Charlotte,  home,  109. 
Cushman  School,  site,  109. 
Custom  House  :  old  locations,  72;  officers,  207; 

Red  Lion,  344. 
Cutler,  Rev.  Timothy  :  rectorate,  150,  168;  pew, 

163;    autograph,  condition,  and   family,    169; 

church,  230. 
Cynosure,  figurehead  of  the  brig,  62. 


Dalrymple,  Colonel,  British  commander,  56. 

Dalton,  Michael,  house,  189. 

Damon,  James,  230. 

Dancing  Hall,  private,  399. 

Darracott,  George,  house,  241,  242. 

Davenport,  Rev.  Addington,  pastorate,  368. 

Davenport,  Rev.  John,  grave,  369. 

Davis,  Anthony,  estate,  384. 

Davis,  James,  house,  39. 

Davis,  Nicholas,  estate,  384. 

Davis's  Medal,  250. 

Dawes,  John,  order,  309.  [369. 

Dawes,  Judge  Thomas  :  scholarship,  347  ;  grave, 

Day,  James,  landlord,  80. 

Deacons'  Seats,  299. 

Dean,  Rev.  Paul,  pastorate,  208. 

Dearborn,  Benjamin,  school,  99. 

Declaration  of  Independence  {q.  v.) :  proclaimed, 

13  ;  allusion,  181 ;  graves  of  signers,  370. 
Dedham,  Mass.,  the  Dwight  family,  149. 
Dentists,  first,  321.     (See  Boston  Physicians.) 
Deshon,  Moses,  artistic  work,  54. 
Desk,  mahogany,  227. 
D'Estaing,  Count,  arrival,  32. 
Devens  Family,  reminiscences,  151. 
Devonshire,  England,  happy  home,  400. 
Diaries,  old,  215. 
Dickens,  Charles:  on  coffee-houses,  71;  works 

read  aloud,  274. 
Dickinson,  Daniel,  estate,  312. 
Dickinson  Family,  allusion,  282. 
Dillaway  House,  place,  269. 
Dillaway,  Mrs.   Susan  Bassett :   assistance,  ix; 

death,  269. 


4H 


Index. 


Directories,  late  invention,  46. 
Ditson,  Oliver,  home,  242. 
Divinity  Row,  157.     (See  Sheaf e  Street.) 
Dixwell,  John,  home,  232. 
Dixwell's  Medal,  250. 
Dobell,  Mary,  school,  284. 

Dock:  market  near,  46  ;  landmarks,  79;  tide,  87. 
Dock  Square  :  sketch,  viii ;  old  plan,  77,  79,  80; 
Nos.  29  and  30,  81  ;  corner,  Sy  ;  fruit-stand,  154. 
Doctor  Clarke's  (q.  v.)  Wharf,  321. 
Doctor,  the  title,  240. 
Dodd,  Benjamin,  house,  286. 
Dodd,  George,  aid  from,  ix. 
Dodd,  Horace,  uncle  and  nephew,  aid  from,  ix. 
Dodd,    Timothy:     heirs,    25;     traditions,    133; 

house,  268. 
Dolbeare,  Joseph,  house,  300. 

Dolliver  the  Pilot,  282. 

Door-hinges,  old,  33. 

Door-knocker,  226. 

Door-panel,  249. 

Doorsteps,  removed,  153. 

Doorway,  Prince  Street,  134. 

Dorchester,  Mass.:  land-grant,  139;  cemetery, 
191  ;  Everetts,  300;   Hitchborns,  313. 

Dormer  Windows,  STiip  Tavern,  295. 

Douglas  Family,  ancestors,  313. 

Douglas,  John,  assistance  from,  ix. 

Douglas,  Mass.,  name,  97. 

Douglass,  William,  profession  and  property,  97. 

Dover,  N.  H. :  Henderson  family,  250;  stages, 
350- 

Downes,  Commodore,  house,  314. 

Downe,  William,  house,  20. 

Dowse,  Richard,  mortgage,  227,  228. 

Dragoons:  injury  done  by,  204;  riding-school, 
393.     (See  British  Troops.) 

Drake's  History,  archway,  266. 

Drawbridge  :  Fore  Street,  287  ;  Blackstone  (q.  v.) 
Street,  31,  346.  (See  Bridge,  Cambridge, 
Charlestown,   West  Boston.) 

Drawings,  rare,  215.     (See  Copley.) 

Drowne,  Deacon  Shem :  artisan,  58,  59 ;  carv- 
ings, 61,  C2 ;   "blockheads,"  62;   vanes,  333, 

377- 
Drowne,  Thomas,  repairing  vane,  59. 
Dry  Docks,  new,  218. 


Dublin,  Ireland,  letter,  400. 
Ductiles,  opprobrious  epithet,  203. 
Dudley,  Joseph  :  administration,  10;  first  gover- 
nor in  the  new  building,  11  ;  dinner,  96. 
Duggan,  John,  landlord,  68. 
Duggan,  William  Brazer,  article  by,  71. 
Dumaresq's  Distillery,  sold,  267. 
Dummer,    William:    governorship,    11;    dinner, 

97  ;  grave,  370. 
Dunbar,  Colonel  Peter,  house,  229. 
Dunn,  Edward  H. :  aid.  x  ;  residence,  230. 
Dupee,  Isaac,  purchase,  117,  125. 
Dutch  Brick,  376. 
Dutch  Fashions,  adopted,  153. 

Dutch  Houses,  320.     (See  Netherlands,  Rotter- 
dam.) 

Dutton,  E.  P.,  &  Co.,  store,  386. 

Duxbury,  Mass.,  settlers,  343. 

Dwight,  Jonathan,  innholder,  149. 

Dwight,  President,  prayer,  392. 

Dwight,  Seth,  heirs,  149. 

Dwight,  Timothy,  family,  149. 

Dyer,  Barret,  gift,  328. 


Ear  of  Dionysius,  271. 

Earthquakes  :  in  1753,  59  ;  in  1693,  293  ;  damage, 

294. 
East  Boston :  a  view  of,  243 ;  old  name,  276. 
East  Boston  Ferry  Company,  218. 
Eastern  Land  Speculation,  losses  and  journeys, 

35T.     (See  Maine.) 
Eastern  Railroad  Ferry,  street  leading  to,  281. 
Eastern  Stage  House,  description  and  history, 

349-352- 
Eaton,  Captain  Ezra,  208. 
Eaton,  Rev.  Asa  :  rectorate,  169  ;  Sunday-school, 

170;  house,  190. 
Eaton,  William,  house wright,  240. 
Eaves,  projecting,  295. 
Eckley,  Rev.  Joseph  :  ordination,  367  ;  pastorate, 

39i- 

Eddy,  Caleb,  house,  190. 
Eddy,  R.  H.,  assistance,  ix. 
Edes,  Captain  Samuel  B.,  house,  241. 
Edes,  Deacon  Edward:  home,  220;  house  sold, 
270. 


Index. 


4'5 


Edes,   Henry   Herbert :     assistance,   ix ;    relics, 

203. 
Edes,  Larabee,  house,  125. 
Edes,  Peter,  a  prisoner,  204. 
Edict  of  Nantes,  Revere  family,  321.     (See  Hu- 
guenots,) 
Edinburgh,  Scotland:  a  Boston  resemblance,  19; 

letter,  401. 
Edwards,    Rev.   Justin:    home,  157;    pastorate, 

219. 
Eells,  Rev.  Nathaniel,  family,  226. 
Elbow  Alley,  place,  349. 
Election  Day,  vacation,  141. 
Electric  Lights,  aiding  good  order,  307. 
Eliot  Family,  street,  225. 
Eliot,  Frederick  W.,  assistance,  ix. 
Eliot,  Mayor,  153. 
Eliot,   Rev.    Andrew:    marriage    by,    140,   203; 

house,  190,  210;  pastorate,  299. 
Eliot,  Rev.  John:  home,  205,  210:  baptism  by, 

273  ;  pastorate,  299. 
Eliot   School:    procession,    144;    location,  199, 

207  ;  name  and  history,  205. 
Eliot's  House,  intrusion,  258. 
Elit's  Street,  name  and  location,  151,  225. 
Elizabeth,  Queen,  incorporation  under,  45. 
Ellis  Family,  old  house,  293. 
Ellis,  Joshua:  house,  230;  discovery,  283;  new 

street,  349. 
Ellis,  Rowland,  assistance,  ix. 
Elwell,  Captain,  house,  157. 
Emerson,  George  B.,  tablet,  368. 
Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo  :  pastorate,  331  ;  resort, 

386. 
Emery,  Thomas  Knox,  trade,  226. 
E  ,  Nancy,  a  kiss,  260. 

Endicott,  John  :  governorship,  10;  grave,  369. 
Endicott  Street,  name,  116. 
Engine  House,  Bennet  Street,  199. 
England  :  Painters'  Arms,  46,  47  ;  trading-towns, 

89  ;  body  taken  to,  170  ;  a  Norfolkshire  charity, 

189;  redress  demanded,   255,  256;    materials 

from,  296. 
English  Authors,  385. 
English   Bond:    in  building,    171,  225;    period, 

293  ;  Province  House,  376.     (See  Brick.) 
English  Brick,  294. 


English  Churches  :  architecture,  166 ;  chimes, 
168  ;  windows,  293. 

English  Coffee-Houses,  71. 

English  Emigrants,  Wanton,  344. 

English  Families  :  the  Lakes,  349 ;  the  Childs, 
399;  the  Hutchinsons,  384. 

English  Goods,  excluded,  182. 

English  Grammar  School,  first,  141. 

English  High  School,  medals,  250. 

English  Influence,  in  Boston,  172. 

English  Marketplace,  308. 

English  Transports,  310. 

Engraving,  rude,  322. 

Episcopacy:  in  Boston,  171  ;  first  in  New  Eng- 
land, 368.     (See  Christ,  Church,  King's.) 

Epitaphs,  192.   (See  Cemeteries,  Copfs,  Granary.) 

Erving,  John  :  office,  81  ;  mortgage,  320. 

Escutcheons,  in  King's  Chapel,  366. 

Esquire,  the  title,  2S6. 

Essequibo  Colony,  238. 

Essex  County,  Whigs  in,  99. 

Essex  Street:  old  house  and  distillery,  399; 
Revolution,  401. 

European  Buildings :  style,  87  ;  gutters,  274. 

European  Markets,  53.     (See  England.) 

European  Travels:    Dr.  Kast,  131;    Mr.  Fields, 

385- 
Eustis  Estate,  190. 
Eustis,  Joseph,  house,  157. 
Evacuation  of  Boston  {q.  v.) :  condition  of  streets, 

123;  return,  226;  Revere,  324;  allusion,  311  ; 

the  flight,  367  ;  subsequent  occurrences,  393 
Evening  Post,  London,  203 
Everett,  Edward  :  portrait,  57  ;  early  home,  1  jo  : 

anecdote,  142  ;  birthplace,  300. 
Everett,  Rev.  Oliver,  home,  300. 
Ewing,  Mr.,  remembrances,  134. 
Exchange  Coffee-House :    shop  and  crier,  358  ; 

torn  down,  360. 
Exeter,  England,  Painters'  Arms,  45,  46. 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  stages,  350. 


Fadr£e,  Tsannah,  musician,  313. 
Falmouth,  Maine,  400. 
Faneuil  Estate,  vane,  58. 
Faneuil  Hall  Bank,  president,  243. 


416 


Index. 


Faneuil  Hall :  paper,  53-59 ;  site,  53 ;  opposition 
and  success,  54  ;  materials  and  fire,  55  ;  troops, 
meetings,  plays,  portraits,  56;  enlargement,  57 
rooms  and  busts,  58  ;  vane,  58,  59 ;  tide,  67 
shadow,    79;    meetings,    81;    curiosity,    88 
school    festival,   142 ;     proposed    portrait    of 
Tileston,  143;   age,  383;   size,  394. 

Faneuil  Hall  Square :  passage,  67  ;  corner,  S2. 

Faneuil,   Peter:    gift,  5^;  death,   55;   portraits, 
56,  57  ;  warehouse,  61  ;  grave,  370. 

Farnham,  Captain  William,  house,  300 

Farnum,  John,  house,  312. 

Farringdon  Without,  London,  204. 

Fast  Day  (1696),  392. 

Favorite  Pilot,  282. 

Faxon,  Nathaniel,  new  street,  349. 

Fayal  Lady,  in  romance,  62. 

Feather  Store,  survival,  79.     (See  Old.) 

Federal  Constitution,  discussed,  98. 

Federal  Hall,  political  gatherings,  70. 

Federal  Party,  early  days,  70. 

Fenders,  207. 

Fernald  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Ferrara,  Italy,  181. 

Fiddler's  Lane,  name,  399. 

Field,  Justin,  house,  153. 

Field,  Rev.  George  W.,  pastorate,  219. 

Fields,  J.  T.  :  bookstore,  385  ;  influence,  386 

Fifth  of  March  :  celebration,  330 ;  orations,  393. 

Figureheads,  206. 

Fillebrown,  Asa,  house,  125. 

Fire  Department,  organized,  242. 

Fire  Insurance  Company,  first,  325. 

Fireplaces:  large,  269;  tiles,  274,  296. 

Fires:  (in  171 1),  10,  11,  384;    (in  1676),  20,  293, 
319;  (in  r68o),  S7.     (See  Conflagration.) 

Fi reward,  chosen,  296. 

Firewood,  used,  217. 

Firsi  Baptist  (q.v.)  Church,  buildings,  100. 

First   Church:    deacon,  31;    fire,  216;  allusion, 
327  ;  pastors,  343,  392  ;  withdrawal,  391. 

First  Meeting-house,  site,  10. 

First  Methodist  {q.v.)  Church,  formed,  156,  209. 

First  Universalist  [q.v.)  Church,  formed,  208. 

Fisher,  Jabez,  house,  300. 

Fisher,  Nathaniel,  house,  300. 

Fishstore,  first,  275. 


Fish  Street,  295  ;  homes,  298  ;  Reveres,  321. 

Fiske,  Benjamin,  house,  256. 

Fiske,  John  M.,  birthplace,  256. 

Fiske's  Wharf,  owner,  256. 

Fitch,  Benjamin,  house,  Si. 

Fitchburg  Railroad,  president,  229. 

Flag:  carried,  194;  mastmakers',  200. 

Fleet,  John,  trade  and  marriage,  80. 

Fleet  Street,  merchants,  1S2  ;  description,  paper, 

281-288;    official   name,    281;   widened,    281; 

and  North,  295  ;  stairway,  297 ;  church,  308  ; 

parade,  311. 
Floors,  solid,  19,  20. 
Follow  my  Leader,  game,  258. 
Folsom,  Charles,  wife,  298. 
Folsom,  John  W.,  gift,  328. 
Foote,  Rev.  Henry  Wilder,  pastorate,  368. 
Fore  Street,  107  ;  school,  203  ;  hatter,  2S7. 
Forfar,  Ochterlony  family,  347. 
Forster,  Mrs.  Jacob,  aid,  ix. 
Fort-hillers,  fighting.  257. 
Fort  Snelling,  architect  of,  158. 
Fosdick  Family,  ancestry,  313. 
Foster,  John,  255  ;  aiding  an  escape,  256. 
Foster  Street,  255-260;  foundry,  32^. 
Fourth-of  July :  first  celebration,  219;  bell,  330. 

( See  Independence. ) 
Fowle,  Henry:  patriotism,   150;  tradition,  152; 

house,  229,  2S6. 
Fowle,  Isaac,  apothecary,  240. 
Fowle,  Joshua  Bentley,  assistance  from,  ix 
Fowler  the  Pilot,  282. 
Fowle's  Office,  34. 
Fowle's  School,  190. 
Fracker,  George,  house,  300. 
France:    money    from,    32;    vessel    from,    16    ; 

edict,  321.     ( See  Europe. ) 
Francklyn  Family,  pew,  163. 
Frankfort-on-the-Main,  229. 
Frankland  Estate,  284. 
Frankland,  Sir  Henry,  office,  400. 
Franklin,  Benjamin:  one  of  his  resorts,  70;  real 

estate,    227;    letters,    228,    229;    table,    231; 

parents,  370 ;  baptism,  392. 
Franklin,  Elizabeth,  home,  227,  228. 
Franklin,  Jane,  life  and  character,  227-229. 
Franklin,  Josiah,  and  wife,  grave,  370. 


Index. 


417 


Franklin  Medals,  first,  200,  201,  273. 

Franklin  Statue,  erected,  202. 

Freeman,  Colonel,  scholarship,  347. 

Freeman,  Rev.  James  :  scholarship,  347  ;  liturgy, 
367 ;  pastorate,  368. 

Freemasonry,  Newman's  connection,  150.  (See 
Masonic. ) 

Freemasons'  Arms,  established,  97. 

French,  Abram,  grandfather  of,  125. 

French  &  Farrar,  203. 

French,  Doctor,  house,  157. 

French  Invasion,  feared,  392. 

Frenchmen  in  Boston,  69. 

French  Revolution,  exiles,  69. 

French  Wars,  arch,  266. 

Frizell,  Dorothy,  gift,  286. 

Frizell  (Frisell),  John  :  house,  285,  286;  charac- 
ter, 286;  land,  312;  building-committee  and 
pew,  327. 

Frizell  Houses,  287. 

Frizell's  Lane,  houses,  285. 

Frizell's  Square,  name,  312. 

Frothingham  Family,  house,  32. 

Frothingham's  History,  134. 

Frothingham,  T.  G.,  aid,  x. 

Fruit :    Harris's,  202  ;  sold  in  street,  359. 

Fuel:  church  used  for,  171  ;  houses,  286;  pre- 
cious, 393.     (See  Wooden.) 

Fuller  Family,  home,  32. 

Fuller,  Rev.  Arthur  B.  :  residence,  157  ;  pastor- 
ate, 299. 

Fulton  Street,  planned,  349. 

P^unerals,  wine,  296. 

Furniture:  old  specimens,  71  ;  lost  and  injured, 
123;  carved,  206.     (See  Secret.) 

Fur  Trade,  287. 


Gables  :  in  several  towns,  87  ;  Dock  Square,  88. 

Gage,  General  Thomas  :  last  governor,  12  ;  in- 
terest in  Pitcairn,  131,  132;  quarters,  180,  181  ; 
seeing  Bunker  Hill,  170;  seizing  traitors,  204; 
business,  376. 

Gale  :  severe,  170, 171  ;  (of  1804),  256  ;  (of  1 8 1 5 ) , 
312. 

Gallery:  in  Christ  Church,  166;  order  in,  169 
(See  Outside.) 


Gallop,  Benadam,  naval  exploit,  180. 

Gallop,  Benjamin  :  house,  180 ;  death  and  son 
John,  1S1. 

Gallop,  Captain  John,  exploit,  180. 

Gallop,  Mary,  marriage,  181. 

Gallop,  Richard,  name,  181. 

Gallop's  Island,  owners,  180. 

Galloupe,  C.  W.,  property,  82. 

Galloupe  House:  essay,  179-182;  name,  181. 

Gambrel  Roofs  [q.  v.),  116,  156,  199,  218,  383. 

Garden  Court:  handsome  houses,  284,  285,  287; 
church,  308  ;  Taylor,  314. 

Gardens:  North  End,  108;  Prince  Street,  124; 
Snow  Hill,  125;  Newman,  153;  Margaret 
Street,  153;  Clough,  [55,  156;  Sheafe  Street, 
156;  Snelling,  15S;  Hull  Street,  179,  1S0,  189; 
Harris,  202,  206;  Ware,  208;  Goddard,  229; 
Wilkinson,  241  ;  Vernon  Place,  250;  Saluta- 
tion Alley,  273  ;  grass,  274. 

Gardner,  Captain  Robert,  house,  242, 

Gardner,  Doctor,  new  street,  349. 

Gardner,  Lemuel,  gift,  328. 

Garrison-house,  portholes,  293. 

Garter  King  of  Arms,  348 

Gasworks,  location,  115,  125,  242. 

Gateways  :  picture,  288  ;  iron,  296. 

Gazette,  where  read,  70. 

Gee  Family,  coat-of-arms,  152. 

Gee,  Peter,  house,  312. 

Gee,  Rev.  Joshua:  land,  115;  estate,  124;  pas- 
torate, 310. 

Gee,  Sarah,  dower,  124. 

General  Court,  changes  ordered  by,  205. 

Genius  of  America,  symbol,  323. 

Genoa,  Italy,  streets,  271. 

George  II.:  portrait,  56;  gift,  167,  174. 

George  III.  :  accession,  12;  sarcastic  allusion 
to,  204  ;  rebellion,  400. 

George,  Lake,  forts,  321. 

Germaine,  Margaret,  descendants,  80. 

German  Motto,  142. 

Ghetto,  in  Italy,  229. 

Gibbs  Family,  pew,  163. 

Gibbs,  Henry,  plasterer,  46. 

Gilbert,  John,  x,  109;  dramatic  efforts,  no. 

Girders,  where  cut,  82. 

Girls,  schooling  of,  141. 


4i8 


Index. 


Glances  and  Glimpses,  quoted,  282. 

Glasgow,  Scotland:  titles,  286;  McKeans,  297. 

Glover,  General  John,  marriage,  313. 

Glover,    Mrs.    Frances    (Hichborn),    marriage, 

3*3- 

Glynn,  Serjeant,  203. 

Goddard,  Elias  W.  :  aid,  ix  ;  house,  229. 

Goddard,  John,  house,  189. 

Goddard's  Wharf,  238. 

Goldsmith,  Oliver,  read  aloud,  274. 

Goldthwait,  Ezekiel,  town-clerk,  348. 

Goodrich  Family,  coat-of-arms,  192. 

Goodwin,  Captain  Nathaniel,  207. 

Goodwin,  Captain  Ozias,  house,  242. 

Goodwin  Family,  allusion,  282. 

Goodwin,  Thomas  J.,  house,  286. 

Goold  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Gore,  Christopher :  governorship,  effects  sold, 
47  I  grave,  370. 

Gore,  John,  business,  47. 

Gore,  Samuel,  painter,  47. 

Gould,  John,  privateer,  166. 

Gould,  Mrs.  Lydia  Ann,  aid,  ix. 

Gould,  Thomas,  house,  125. 

Government  House,  name,  376. 

Governors  :  before  the  Revolution,  10,  11;  Han- 
cock {(/.  v.)  and  his  successors,  13;  at  church, 
366  ;  residence,  376;  Old  South,  392.  (See 
their  individual  names.) 

Grafton,  Duke  of,  203. 

Grammar,  William,  house,  243. 

Granary  Burial  Ground  :  Tileston's  funeral,  144; 
tablets  and  graves,  369,  370. 

Grasshopper  Vane,  58,  59,  377. 

Graves,  Doctor,  pew,  163. 

Gravestones,  Copp's  Hill,  191,  192.  (See  King's 
Chapel. ) 

Gray,  Captain  Robert,  194. 

Gray  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Gray,  Henry  D  ,  house,   190. 

Gray,  Rev.  F.llis,  pastorate,  331. 

Gray's  Bay,  194. 

Gray,  Susanna,  home,  109. 

Gray's  Wharf,   124;  adventure,  259. 

( rray,  William,  ships,  124. 
f "ire  {q  v.),  293. 

Greaton,  Rev.  James,  167,  168. 


Greeley  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Green,  Benjamin  H.,  aid,  x. 

Green,  Captain  Francis,  house,  157. 

Green,  Dr.  Samuel  A.,  mayor,  191. 

Green  Dragon  :  frequented,  68  ;  article  on,  95- 

100;  history  and  removal,  96;  dance,  07  ;  the 

sign,  99;  meetings,  325.     (See  Taverns.) 
Green  Dragon  Lane,  widened,  96. 
Green  Family:  house,  39;  Boston  Stone,  40. 
Green,  Ira,  gift,  328. 
Green  Lane,  237. 

Green,  Thomas,  ix ;  mayor  of  Chelsea,  157. 
Green,  William,  house,  125. 
Greenleaf,  Lydia,  inscription,  109. 
Greenleaf's  Drugstore,  88. 
Greenough,  Captain  Newman,  house,  241. 
Greenough,  Captain  William,  shipyard,  239. 
Greenough,  David,  lease,  ^77- 
Greenough,  Elizabeth  (Mather),  marriage,  231. 
Greenough  Family,  ancestry,  313. 
Greenough,  Nathaniel,  patriotism,  150. 
Greenough's  Lane,  239;  windows,  249. 
Greenough 's  Wharf,  239. 
Greenough,  William,  widow,  231. 
Greenwood  Family,  coat-of  arms,  192. 
Greenwood,  Horatio,  bust  of  Tileston,  143. 
Greenwood,  Nathaniel,  200;  home,  273. 
Greenwood,    Rev.    Francis    W.    P.,   pastorate, 

368. 
Greenwood,  William  P.,  house,  2S6. 
Grenadiers,  emblem,  323 
Gridley,  Colonel,  services,  321. 
Grog,  origin  of  the  word,  60. 
Gruchy  Flats,  267. 
Gruchy   (Grushea,   Grushia),    Captain   Thomas 

James:  prize,  166;  autograph,  169;  arch,  266; 

life,  267,  268;   picture  of  house,  270. 
Guernsey  Huguenots  (</.  v.),  321. 
Guild  Brother,  title,  286. 
Guild  of  Painters  and  Stainers,  45,  46. 
Gunpowder,  lesson  in  making,  324. 
Gunsmith,  Wadsworth,  344. 
Gurney,  Miss  Anna,  of  England,  charity,  189. 
Gurney,  Mrs.,  charity,  125. 
Gurney  the  Pilot,  282. 
Gutters,  middle  of  the  street,  274. 
Guy's  Hospital,  London,  131, 


Index. 


419 


Haggat,  text  from,  392. 

Hale,  Mary  P.,  aid  from,  x. 

Hall  of  Representatives :  demands  for  liberty  in, 
12;  Washington's  visit,  13.  (See  Old  State 
House. ) 

Hall,  wide,  296. 

Hamlin  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Hammatt,  Charles,  house,  256. 

Hammatt  Family,  house,  156. 

Hampton,  N.  H.,  pastor,  349. 

Hancock,  Ebenezer,  paymaster,  32. 

Hancock  Family,  block  built,  33. 

Hancock,  Governor  John:  inaugurated,  13; 
family,  32  ;  portrait,  57 ;  election,  68 ;  tavern 
sign,  68,  72;  death  and  statue,  69;  ship,  80; 
cousin,  1 52  ;  sloop  seized,  182  ;  reception,  194  ; 
housekeeper,  242 ;  nephew,  268  ;  club,  272 ; 
grave,  370;  oration,  393. 

Hancock,  John,  reminiscences,  32. 

Hancock,  Melinda,  marriage,  152. 

Hancock  Street,  corner,  90. 

Hancock's  Wharf :  location,  207  ;  mansion,  295; 
head,  297. 

Hanover  Avenue,  name,  274. 

Hanover  Street:  intersection,  31  ;  buildings,  32, 
39;  (No.  153),  45;  made  over,  48  ;  thoroughfare, 
96;  corner  of  Union,  100;  connections,  old 
name,  107;  gardens,  108;  tavern,  117;  Dr. 
Kast,  131;  church,  202;  corner  of  Portland, 
207  ;  Mather  house,  208  ;  corner  of  Bennet, 
210;  ferry,  218;  near  Tileston,  231;  near 
Charter,  237,  239,  240,  271;  groceries,  275; 
and  Garden  Court,  284;  Hutchinson,  287; 
Hawkins  land,  294;  New  North,  299;  New 
Brick,  311;  widened,  330;  changed  appear- 
ance, 331. 

Hanseatic  Merchants,  architecture,  87. 

Harbor  Front,   107. 

Harcourt,  Mrs.  Motley,  portrait  owned  by,  312. 

Harpsichord,  first,  313. 

Harrington,  Bowen,  house,  157. 

Harris,  Eunice  (Greenwood),  marriage,  273. 

Harris  Family,  allusion,  282. 

Harris,  Frances  K.,  aid  from   x. 

Harris,  Isaac  :  residence,  181.  200  ;  brewery,  201 ; 
offices,  202,  203  ;  garden,  2o5. 

Harris,  Major  William,  land,  256. 


Harris,  Rev.  Henry,  rector,  368. 

Harris,  Samuel,  a  mastmaker,  200. 

Harris,  Samuel,  Jr.,  vane,  333. 

Harrison,  Peter,  planning  the  Chapel,  366. 

Harrison  Square,  mill,  139. 

Hartford  Athenaeum,  344. 

Hartt,  Aaron,  descendants,  188. 

Hartt,  Captain  Edmund :  house  and  services, 
187;  life  and  family,  188;  gift,  328;  auto- 
graph, 329. 

Hartt,  Captain  Joseph,  house,  157. 

Hartt,  Edward,  life  and  family,  188. 

Hartt  Family,  scattered,  188. 

Hartt  House,  187-190. 

Hartt,  Mrs.  Henry  H.,  assistance  from,  ix. 

Hartt,  Ralph,  house,  187. 

Hartt,  Samuel,  descendants,  188. 

Hartt's  Ways,  locality,  188. 

Hartt,  Zephaniah,  house,  187. 

Harvard  College  :  chimes  heard,  168;  guarded, 

335- 

Harvard  Graduates:    Kast,    131  ;    Parker,  226; 

Byles,    231;     Vernon,    238;    Chandler,    249; 

Hillard,   250;    Hichborn,  313;   Perkins,  347; 

Adan,  348. 
Harvard  Presidents:    Hoar,  319;    Wadsworth, 

343  ;  residence,  399. 
Harvard  Professors  :  Winthrop,  108  ;  Webster, 

284  ;  Boylston,  297,  298  ;  McKean,  298. 
Harward,  Rev.  Thomas,  assistant  rector,  368. 
Haskell,  Rev.  Samuel:    namesake,  152;   rector- 
ate,  169. 
Plassam,  John  T.,  assistance  from,  ix. 
Hatch,  Susannah,  marriage,  399. 
Hatters'  Square,  unchanged,  40. 
Hatton,  Rev.  George,  rector,  368. 
Hats,  old  style,  71. 

Haverhill,  Mass.,  At  wood  family,  285. 
Hawkins,  Captain  Thomas,  estate,  294. 
Hawkins  Street,  school,  141. 
Hawthorne,    Nathaniel  :    Mosses   from  an  Old 

Manse,  61,  62  ;  literary  resort,  386. 
Hayden  the  Pilot,  282. 
Hayman,  Grace,  marriage,  295. 
Hayman,  John,  rope-maker,  295. 
Haymarket  Square,  new  land,  96. 
Haywood,  Anthony,  burial-place,  191. 


420 


Index 


Healy,  G.  P.  A.,  great  picture,  57. 

Heard,  Sir  Isaac,  rank,  348. 

Heidelberg  Castle,  241. 

Hemmenway,  Captain  H.  C,  aid  from,  x. 

Hemmenway,  Peter,  house,  243,  275. 

Henchman,  Nathaniel,  purchase,  349. 

Henchman's  Lane,  241,  242. 

Hender,  Captain,  pew,  163. 

Henderson,  Deacon  B  ,  gifts,  311,  328. 

Henderson,  Major  Daniel,  house,  250. 

Heraldry  :  in  Boston,  45  ;  on  gravestones,  192. 

(See  Coat-of-Arms.) 
Hewes,  Jabez  F.,  bakery  [q.  v.),  124. 
Hichborn,  Benjamin,  patriot,  313. 
Hichborn,  Thomas  :  gift,  328;  autograph,  329. 
Hichborn,  Samuel  :  sailmaker,  313;  gift,  328. 
Hicks,  Zachariah  :  teacher,  140;  pupils,  150. 
Hiler,  Captain  Thomas  G.,  house,  243. 
Hiler,  Deacon  Jacob,  house,  229. 
Hiler,  George,  house,  249. 
Hill,  Alexander,  family,  300. 
Hillard,  George  S. :  home,  250;  literary  resort, 

386. 
Hillard,  John  B.,  house,  250. 
Hinges,  old,  166. 

Hingham,  Mass.,  Lincoln  family,  217,  219. 
His  Majesty's  Chapel,  365.  (See  King's.) 
Historical  Society,  relics  of  Province  House,  376. 

(See  Boston/an,  Massachusetts,  New  England.) 
Hitchborn,  Deborah,  marriage,  321. 
Hitchborn,  Deacon  Thomas,  family,  313. 
Hitchborn  Estate,  314. 
Hitchborn,  Isannah  (Fadree),  313. 
Hitchborn  House,  described,  313. 
Hitchborn,  Nathaniel,  boatbuilder,  313. 
Hitchborn,  Thomas,  first  ancestor,  313. 
Hoar,  Leonard,  library,  319. 
Hoar,  Madam  Bridget,  gift,  319. 
Hobbs,  Mrs.  John    assistance  from,  ix. 
Hobbs,  Nathan,  house,  239. 
Mollis  Street  Church,  pastor,  23T. 
Ilollis,  Thomas,  house,  157. 
Holmes,  Almoran,  vane,  333. 
Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  literary  resort,  386. 
Holme,  Thomas, grant  of  arms,  45. 
Holyoke  Family,  house,  312. 
Homer,  Dr.  Jonathan,  scholarship,  347. 


Honestus,  signature,  90. 

Hooper  &  Co.,  vane,  333. 

Hooper,  Henry  N.,  house,  157,  256. 

Hooton,  John  :  pew,  163  ;  scholarship,  347. 

Hopkins,  Captain,  leading  the  mob,  182. 

Hopkinton,  Mass.,  80. 

Hornet,  pilot-boat,  282. 

Horsecars,  and  North  Square,  309. 

Horsemanship,  necessary,  324. 

Hospital,  British  [q.  v.),  article  on,  123-126. 

Hourglass,  in  church,  366. 

Houses:  historic,  216;  distinctive  features,  272, 

273.     (See  Boston.) 
Howard,  Charles,  aid  from,  x. 
Howard  Family,  allusion,  282. 
Howard,  John  Day  :  house,  229,  275  ;  new  street, 

349- 
Howard,  Joseph,  gift,  328. 
Howard,  Robert,  house,  312,  320. 
Howard,  Samuel,  gift,  328. 
Howard,  William  A.,  legacy,  167. 
Howe,  Captain  John  :  house,  207  ;  anecdote,  208. 
Howe  Family,  home,  39. 
Howe,  John  :  family,  218;  house,  243. 
Howe,  Joseph  :  home,  39  ;  Boston  Stone,  40. 
Howe,  Sally,  marriage,  218. 
Howe,  Sir  William:  protects   Faneuil  Hall,  56; 

destruction  of  a  church,  171,  310;    befriends 

Leach,  204. 
Howe,  Susannah  Greaves,  family,  218. 
Howell,  Philip,  house,  180. 
Hudson's  Point,  237. 
Hudson,  Thomas,  house,  241. 
Huguenots  :   in  Boston,  48.   54,  80 ;  in  Oxford, 

So;  Reveres,  321.     (See  French.) 
Hull,  Hannah,  conveyance,  179. 
Hull,  John,  pasture,  179. 
Hull   Street:    gardens,    157,   179,   189;  view  of 

Christ  Church,  166;   name,  179;   little  used, 

181;  houses,  187;  Baker  estate,  188;  school, 

190;  tablet,  191. 
Humphrey,  Benjamin,  new  street,  349. 
Hunnewell,  Captain,  a  model,  62. 
I  runt,  a  driver,  169. 

Hunt,  Harriot  K.,  medical  practice,  282. 
Hunt,  Joab  (Job),  residence,  242,  281,  282. 
Hunt,  John,  prisoner,  204. 


Index. 


421 


Hunt,  Lewis,  house,  87. 

Hunt,  Matthew,  pilot,  282. 

Hunt,  Mrs.  Joab,  educational  interest,  284. 

Hunt,  Rev.  John,  pastorate,  391. 

Hunt,  the  druggist,  240. 

Huntington,  Rev.  Joseph,  pastorate,  391. 

Hutchinson,  Anne,  dwelling,  384. 

Hutchinson,  Colonel  Thomas,  house,  300. 

Hutchinson,   Edward  :    houses  on  Fleet  Street, 

283  ;  mansion,  295. 
Hutchinson,  Elisha,  wife,  212. 
Hutchinson  Family:  coat-of-arms,  192;  tavern, 

294  ;  founder,  384. 
Hutchinson,  Governor  Thomas  :  administration, 

12;    toryism,   205;    family,   238;    uncle,   283; 

garden,  287  ;  refuge,  287,  288  ;  brother,  295 ; 

troops,  393. 
Hutchinson,  Henry,  trade,  239. 
Hutchinson,  Thomas  (the  father),  gift,  205. 
Hutchinson,  William,  land,  384. 

Inches  Family,  estate,  384,  385. 
Independence,  birthplace,  14.    (See  Declaration.) 
Independence    Day,    celebrations,    218.      (See 

Fourth.) 
Independence,  Fort,  militia,  219. 
India,  Ochterlony  in,  347. 
Indian  Hill,  Poore's  place,  375. 
Indians  :  and  Boston  Stone,  39 ;    Narragansett, 

180;     Wadsworth's    company,     343;     killing 

Lake,  349. 
Indian  Vane  :  allusion,  58  ;  description,  375,  377. 

(See  Province  House.) 
Industrial  Home,  site,  219. 
Industrial  School  for  Girls,  established,  284. 
Infantry  in  181 2,  158.     (See  War.) 
Inflammatory  Paper,  England,  203. 
Ingham,  North,  pew,  163. 
Ingraham,  Captain,  pew,  163. 
Ingraham,  Joseph  W.,  superintendent  of  Sunday- 
Ingraham  School,  site,  156.  [school,  170. 

Ingraham's  Novel,  71. 
Ingraham's  Yard,  church,  274. 
Innholders,  216. 
Inns  :  oldest  in   Boston,  67 ;  King's  Head,  286. 

(See  Taverns.) 


Interior  Finish,  206,  239,  296. 
Ipswich,  Mass.  :  Wainwright,  46;  stages,  351, 
Ireland,  manufactures  and  servants,  400. 
Islands,  bluffs,  192.     (See  Noddle's.) 
Ivers,  Thomas,  warden,  167. 


Jackson  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Jackson,  Henry :  name  on  plan,  77 ;  office  and 

family,  81. 
Jackson,  Jonathan,  land,  230. 
Jackson,  Joseph,  property,  80,  81. 
Jackson,  Rev.  Joseph,  an  executor,  81. 
Jail,  Leach  in,  204. 

James,  Enoch  :  gift,  328  ;  autograph,  329. 
James  Estate,  294. 
James,  John  W.,  house,  300. 
Janes  Pew,  77. 
Jefferson,  Thomas:  adherents,  70;  their  leader 

in  Boston,  90;  cabinet,  219. 
Jeffs,  John,  mariner,  313. 
Jennison,  John  L.,  house,  300. 
j^nkinc  ( Jinkins),  Robert :  pew,  163  ;  privateer, 

166. 
Jepson,  William,  house,  242. 
Jersey  Adventurer,  267. 
Jersey,  England,  emigrants,  117. 
Jockey's  WTords,  204. 
Jones  Family,  pew,  163. 
Joy,  Thomas,  house,  312. 
Judengasse,  in  Germany,  229. 
Judges,  graves  of,  369. 
Julius  Caesar,  head,  274. 


Kast  Buildings,  location,  131. 

Kast,  Philip  Godfrid,  131. 

Kast,    Thomas :    profession    and    politics,    131  ; 

life,  131,  132  ;  statement,  134. 
Katchel  Family,  pew,  163. 
Keayne,  Captain  Robert,  will,  10. 
Kellogg,  Clara  Louise,  ancestry,  239. 
Kellond,  Thomas,  trustee,  319. 
Kemp,  Father,  house,  157. 
Kennebec  River,  Indians,  349. 
Kentucky,  a  death  in,  188. 
Kettell,  Deacon,  bakery,  no. 


422 


Index. 


Keystone,  in  windows,  227. 

Kidder,  Joseph,  landlord,  97. 

Kimball,  Ebenezer,  trade,  226. 

Kimball,  Moses  :  aid,  x ;  collection  ,  143. 

King  Family:  pew,  163  ;  allusion,  282. 

King,  Gedney,  house,  300. 

King's  Arms,  tavern,  81. 

King's  Bench,  204. 

King's  Chapel:  offshoot,  168;  unroofed,  170; 
essay,  365-370  ;  origin,  365  ;  furnishings,  366  ; 
rebuilt,  367  ;  memories  and  clergy,  368  ;  ceme- 
tery, 369,  370. 

King's  Farm,  milk-trade,  276. 

King's  Head  Inn,  place,  286. 

King's  (King)    Street  :    site  of   townhouse,   12, 

55  5  Plan>  322- 
Kitchen,  unchanged,  320. 
Knight  of  Bath,  347. 
Knocker,  ancient,  100.     (See  Door.) 
Knox,  Captain  Andrew,  mortgage,  320. 
Knox,  General  Henry,  portrait,  57. 
Knox  the  Pilot,  282. 
Krey,  John  H.,  assistance  from,  ix. 


Ladders,  on  a  church,  309. 

Lafayette  Avenue,  corner,  123. 

Lafayette  :  death  and  military  rank,  284  ;  Boston 

friendship,  400. 
Lake,  Ann,  marriage,  349. 
Lake.   Captain  Thomas:    trustee,   319;    house, 

;,l9  ;  burial-place,  191. 
Lake,  Sir  Bybie,  estate,  349. 
Lakin  the  Pilot,  282. 
Lambert,  Captain  John,  house,  273. 
Lambert,  Mehitable,  marriage,  188. 
Lancers,  commander  of  the,  229. 
Langdon,    Deacon    Edward,    estate,    281 ;    wife, 

344- 
Langdon,  John,  estate,  281. 
Lantern,  antique,  154. 
Lash  Family,  allusion,  282 
Lash,  Nicholas,  trade  and  family,  80. 
Lash,  Rebecca  and  Susan,  aid  from,  ix. 
Lash,  Rebecca  Snelling  (Greenwood),  marriage, 

273- 

Lash,  Robert:  medal,  200;  shop,  273. 


Lash,  Robert,  Jr.:    home,  273;   life,  273,  274; 

signature,  276. 
Lathrop,  G.  P.,  article  by,  71. 
Lathrop,  John,  portraits  owned  by,  312. 
Lathrop,  Rev.  John  :  ceremony,  218  ;  house,  229  ; 

pastorate,  310,  311,  331  ;  land,  311  ;  death  and 

portraits,  312  ;  grave,  370. 
Latin  Poem,  on  a  weathercock,  335. 
Latin  School  Boys  :  graduates  of  1836,  201  ;  Hil- 

lard,    250;     Beecher,    260;     distinguished    in 

1766,  347  ;  recess,  359;  jokes,  377. 
Latin   School :    master,    55 ;    old  building   sold, 

367  ;  usher,  401. 
Lattice,  in  old  building,  88. 
Lawn,  Province  House,  376. 
Lawrence,  Samuel,  statement,  134. 
Leach,  Captain  Samuel,  children,  227. 
Leach  Family,  portraits,  203. 
Leach,  John :  house,  202  ;  school,  203 ;  patriotism, 

204  ;  drawings,  204,  205. 
Leach's  Wharf,  204. 
Leach,  the  Misses,  aid,  x. 
Lean-to,  Mather's,  287. 
Learned,  William:  aid,  ix  ;  store,  32. 
Lechmere  Point,  execution  there,  154. 
Lee  &  Shepard,  242. 
Lee.  Colonel  Henry,  aid  from,  ix. 
Lee  Family,  ancestry,  313. 
Lee,  Thomas  :  heirs,  286 ;  committee,  327. 
Lee,  Thomas,  Jr.:  builder,  199;  house,  208. 
Lee,  Thomas,  Sr.,  house,  199. 
Lee,  William,  house,  242. 
Leeds,  Benjamin  I.,  house,  286. 
Leeds,  Samuel,  house,  no. 
Legislature:    protest,    12;    last   meeting  in  Old 

{q.v.)  State  {q.  v.)  House,  13;  Harris  in,  202 

Washington's  visit,  384. 
Leigh,  Lord,  Boston  visit,  68. 
Lemon-stands,  154. 
Letters,  carried  by  drivers,  350. 
Leverett,   Sir  John:    governorship,  10;    grave, 

369- 
Lewin,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  aid  from,  ix. 
Lewis,  Daniel  Taylor,  marriage,  273. 
Lewis,  Elizabeth  Greenwood,  marriage,  273. 
Lewis,  John,  medal,  200. 
Lewis,  Rev.  Stephen  C,  rectorate,  168. 


Index, 


423 


Lewis,  Samuel  S.,  new  street,  348,  349. 

Lewis,  Thomas  :  house,  242  ;  gift,  238. 

Lexington,  Mass. :  author's  residence,  viii  ;  bat- 
tle, 12,  173 ;  hall  and  contents,  69 ;  Cary  family, 
242  ;  the  famous  ride,  324,  348. 

Libby,  Jacob  G.  L.,  house,  229. 

Liberty  Tree,  market  near,  53. 

Lieutenant-Governors,  graves,  369,  370. 

Lightstand,  old,  227. 

Lillie,  Eliot,  apples,  259. 

Lime  Alley,  255. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  portrait,  57. 

Lincoln,  Beza,  assistance,  ix. 

Lincoln,  Captain  Amos,  family,  219. 

Lincoln,  Charles,  house,  no. 

Lincoln,  David,  family,  217. 

Lincoln,  Elizabeth  Fearing,  2T7. 

Lincoln  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Lincoln,  Frederic  W.  :  aid,  x  ;  mayor,  219,  351. 

Lincoln,  General,  collector,  194. 

Lincoln  House,  chimney,  149. 

Lincoln,  Levi,  office,  219. 

Lincoln,  Louis,  family,  219. 

Lincoln,  Mrs.  Noah,  death,  219. 

Lincoln,  Mrs.  R   C,  aid,  x. 

Lincoln,  Noah:  house,  205,  211-220;  life,  217- 
220;  estate  sold,  218;  Unity  Street,  229. 

Lincoln,  Noah,  the  younger,  aid,  x. 

Lincoln,  Stephen,  descendants,  217. 

Lincoln's  Wharf,  217. 

Linen  Shirts,  226. 

Lion,  ship,  343. 

Literature,  ornaments  to,  386. 

Little,  Ezekiel,  teacher,  143. 

Liturgy:  introduced  into  Boston,  361;;  ro^al 
gift  of  prayerbooks,  366;  alterations  by  the 
minister,  367.  (See  Christ  Church,  Episco- 
pacy, King's  Chapel  ) 

Livestock,  kept  by  negroes,  229,  230. 

Livingston,  James  R.,  position,  400. 

Livingston  Manor,  400. 

Livingston,  Margaret  (Sheaffe),  marriage,  400. 

Lloyd,  James,  grave,  369. 

Lloyd  Medal,  250. 

Lock,  large,  227. 

Lodgings,  cheap,  293. 

Lombard,  Ephraim,  assistance  from,  ix. 


London,  England  {q.  v.)  :  byways,  31  ;  Painters' 
and  Stainers'  Company,  45  ;  Gibbs  from,  46; 
Royal  Exchange,  58  ;  Dr.  Kast's  study,  131  ; 
ordination,  167;  tower,  202;  name  from,  281. 

London  Merchants,  Sergeant,  376. 

London  Stone,  40. 

Longevity,  in  Boston,  201. 

Longfellow,  Henry  Wadsworth :  subject  for, 
267;  ancestry,  344;  literary  resort,  386;  bal- 
lad, 392. 

Long  Wharf :  coffee-house,  80 ;  Thoreau's  busi- 
ness, 117;  merchants,  208;  Dodd's  appren- 
ticeship, 268. 

Lord,  Captain  Jonathan,  house,  242. 

Lord,  James,  collector,  72. 

Loring,  B.  R.,  military  positions,  401. 

Loring,  Helen  (Lovell),  marriage,  401. 

Loring,  Henry,  wife,  401. 

Loring,  H.  K.,  wife,  313. 

Loring,  John,  house,  320. 

Loring,  Jonathan,  land,  230. 

Loring,  Nathaniel,  house,  117. 

Loring,  the  Misses,  aid,  x. 

Lost  Children,  crier,  358. 

Louisburg  Expedition,  date,  n. 

Louis  Philippe:  in  Boston,  69;  enthroned,  70. 

Love  Family,  230. 

Love,  John  :  marriage,  226  ;  house,  230. 

Love  Lane,  name  and  location,  151,  170,  230. 

Love,  producing  obedience,  46. 

Love,  Susannah,  home,  226,  230. 

Lovell,  Helen  (Sheaffe),  401. 

Lovell,  James  Smith,  usher,  401. 

Lovell,  John,  oration,  55. 

Lovell,  James  :  prisoner,  204  ;  oration,  393. 

Lov,,      braham   house,  286. 

Lovell  the  Pilot,  282 

Lowell,  James  Russell,  liteiaty  resort.  386. 

Lowell,  Mary,  marriage,  314. 

Lowell  Tablet,  368. 

Loyalists,  in  Boston,  367. 

Luckis,  Benjamin,  house,  207. 

Lynd,  Joseph,  brewery,  46. 

Lynn,  Mass.,  Hartt  family,  188. 

Lynn  Street-  foundry,  170;  near  Foster,  256; 
tunnel,  265;  land,  273. 

Lyon's  Creek,  battle,  158. 


424 


Index. 


Macdonald,  Edward:  aid,  ix,  193. 
Maffit's  Preaching,  274. 
Mail-coaches,  inn,  350. 

Maine:  roads  to  Boston,  126;  historic  bell,  331. 
Mair,  Thomas,  assistance  from,  x. 
Malaga  Raisins,  in  market,  359. 
Malcom,  Daniel,  patriotic  merchant,  181,  182. 
Manchester-by-the-Sea,  carving,  300. 
Manning,  Rev.  Jacob  M.,  pastorate,  391. 
Mansur,  Samuel,  house,  250. 
Mantels,  carved,  33,  118. 

Marblehead,  Mass.:  hall,  116;  Tucker's  retire- 
ment, 283. 
Marble,  William:  aid,  ix  ;  decorator,  181. 
Margaret    Street:    houses,     126,     140;    Clough 
house,  153;  corner  of  Sheafe,  155;  name,  156. 
Marietta,  Ohio,  settled,  296. 
Marine  Barracks,  fuel,  286. 
Marine  Railway  Company,  218,  242. 

Mariner's  Church,  established,  220. 

Mariners'  House,  location,  296,  312. 

Markethouses  :    three,   53 ;    pulled  down  by  a 
mob,  53,  54 

Marketplace,  of  North  End,  308. 

Marshall  House,  view,  ^. 

Marshall's      Lane:      situation,     31-34;      name 
changed,   32. 

Marshall  Street,  32. 

Marshall,  Thomas,  occupations,  31. 

Martin,  Michael,  highwayman,  154. 

Martin  the  Pilot,  282. 

Martyn,  Captain  Edward,  house,  312,  347. 

Martyn  Family,  coat-of-arms,  192,  312. 

Martyn,  Mrs.  Sarah,  widow,  347. 

Martyn,  Richard:  house,  312;  land,  319. 

Mary,  a  slave,  238. 

Mary,  the  sloop,  180. 

Masonic  Fraternity,  honors,  273. 

Mason's  Hall,  name,  97. 

Masofrfc  Records,  140.     (See  Freemasonry) 

Masonry,  Revere's  rank,  325. 

Mason  Street,  school,  141. 

Massachusetts    Charitable    Mechanic    Associa- 
tion :  fairs,  57  ;  origin,  99;  president,  325. 

Massachusetts  Charitable  Society,  14a. 

M;iss;w  husetts  Citizens,  on  Spanish  Main,  60. 

Massachusetts  Convention  (of  1788),  98. 


Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  yjy. 
Massachusetts  Governors  (q.  v.)  :  appointment 

of  eight,  13;  graves,  369,  370. 
Massachusetts    Grand    Lodge,    organized,    97. 

(See  Masonic.) 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society  :    early  meet- 
ings,  58;  manuscripts,  349;  vane,  t>77- 
Massachusetts  Judges,  graves,  369. 
Massachusetts    Medical    Society,    the    original 

members,  131. 
Massachusetts  Mutual  Company,  founded,  325. 
Massachusetts  Seal,  377. 
Massachusetts  Spy,  where  printed,  34. 
Massacre,  Boston  (q.  v.)  :  site,  12;  meeting,  56; 

discussed,  71  ;  events,  322. 
Matchet,  John,  his  sloop,  182. 
Mather-Eliot  House,  210-220. 
Mather    Family:    fruit    of  preaching,   2S5 ;    in- 
fluence, 309,  310. 
Mather,  Rev.  Cotton:  church,  171  ;  burial-place, 

191,  192;  house,  208,  210;  pastorate,  310. 
Mather,  Rev.  Increase:  church,  171  ;  grave,  191, 
192;  house,  210;  daughter,  231;  agency  and 
support,  255;  escape,  256;  fire,  309;  pastor- 
ate, 310;  parsonage  and  library,  319. 
Mather,   Rev.    Samuel:    burial-place,    191,    192; 
church,    208;    lean-to,    287;    pastorate,    310; 
marriage  ceremony,  321. 
Maxwell,  Captain  William:    house,   109;    pew, 

163. 
Maxwell,  James,  house,  156. 
May,  Colonel  John,  residence,  296. 
May  Estate,  sold,  297. 
Mayflower,  passengers'  graves,  369. 
May,  Henry  K.,  house,  157. 
May,  JJ.VV  Joseph,  assistance  from,  x. 
Mayo,  Rev.  John,  pastorate,  310. 
May's  Wharf,  25,  238;  owner,  296. 
Maysville,  Ohio,  name,  296. 
May  Tablet,  368. 
McCleary  Family,  traditions,  134. 
McCleary,  John  B.,  house,  124. 
McCleary,  Samuel   F.,  Jr.  :   aid  from,  ix ;  resi- 
dence, 125. 
McCleary,  Samuel  F.,  Sr. :  house,  125;  school, 

200,  201. 
McCleary,  Samuel,  house,  242. 


Index. 


425 


McDaniel,  Hugh,  privateer,  166. 

McField  the  Pilot,  282. 

McKean,  Agnes,  arrival,  397. 

McKean  Family,  worship,  298. 

McKean,  John  George,  education,  298. 

McKean,  Henry  S.,  education,  298. 

McKean,  Rev.  Joseph,  career,  297,  298. 

McKean,  William  :  life,  297  ;  home,  297,  298. 

McKean,  Joseph  William,  grandson,  298. 

Mears,  Samuel,  landlord,  79. 

Mechanics  at  North  End  [q.  v.),  150,  154,  172. 

Mecom,  Edward,  228. 

Mecom,  Jane  (Franklin),  home,  228,  229. 

Medford,  Mass.,  Cradock  house,  293. 

Medford  Turnpike,  robbery,  154. 

Melcher,  Levi,  land,  209. 

Melendy,  Samuel,  house,  229. 

Merchants'  Insurance  Company,  president,  243. 

Merchants  :  living  near  water,  256;  oldest,  268. 

Merchants'  Row,  vicinity,  61,  67,  72. 

Merchant,  William,  house,  238. 

Mercury,  sign,  351,  352. 

Meres,  J.,  letter,  204. 

Merrie  England,  social  habits,  399. 

Merrimac  River,  freight  by,  116. 

Merritt  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Merry,  Daniel,  gift,  328. 

Merry,  Jonathan :  pasture,  181;  residence,  268; 
estate,  320;  gift,  328. 

Messina  Oranges,  in  market,  359. 

Methodist  Alley,  church,  274. 

Methodist  Church:  preachers,  48;  first  organ- 
ized in  Boston,  156,  209,  239;  location,  202; 
first  place,  274. 

Methodist  Historical  Society,  209. 

Methodist  Meeting  House,  loud  preaching,  274. 

Methodist  Preachers,  doctrines  and  vane,  335. 

Methodists,  church  bought,  330. 

Miantonomoh,  invited  to  Boston,  67. 

Middle  Ages,  weathercocks,  335. 

Middlesex  Canal  :  boats,  116;  trip,  359,  360. 

Middlesex  County,  England,  203,  204. 

Middle  Street,  name,  107,  243,  284. 

Milk  Family,  gate,  288. 

Milk  Street:  fur  business,  268;  and  Province 
House,  376;  Franklin's  birthplace,  392. 

Milk,  supply  of,  275,  276. 


Mill  Bridge,  34. 

Mill  Creek:  site,  33;  allusion,  46;  filled,  116. 

Mill  Field,  location,  190. 

Miller,  Moses,  house,  286 

Mill  Pond:  filled  up,  96,  115;  land,  97;  border- 
ing streets,  107  ;  view  over,  125,  190. 

Mills,  James  L ,  house,  243. 

Mills,  Samuel,  house,  239. 

Milton,  Ephraim,  house,  300. 

Milton,  Mass.  :  pastor,  297  ;  Wadsworths,  343. 

Minstrel  Hall,  377. 

Mint-master,  179. 

Mohawks,  at  the  Tea-party,  320,  393. 

Molesworth,  Captain  Ponsonby,  wife,  400. 

Molesworth,  Susannah  (Sheaffe),  marriage,  400 

Money,  depreciated,  150. 

Moniteur,  read  in  Boston,  69. 

Monitorial  School,  location,  190. 

Monk  Family,  pew,  163. 

Montague,  Rev.  William,  rectorate,  168,  169. 

Montford,  Jonathan,  building-committee,  327. 

Montgomery  Guards,  officers,  232. 

Moon  Street :  houses  near,  2S1,  285,  287  ;  stable, 
286;  gateway,  288;  new  church,  308;  willows, 
3". 312. 

Morse,  Rev.  Jedediah,  church,  170.  (See  Charles- 
town) 

Mortar,  of  shells  and  clay,  294. 

Motley,  John  Lothrop,  daughter,  312. 

Mott,  Mrs.,  encouragement  to  Hunt,  282. 

Mouldings,  solid,  166. 

Mould  (Moale),  Captain,  pew,  163. 

Mountfort  Family:  coat-of-arms,  192  ;  house,  312. 

Mountfort's  Corner  :  location,  308 ;  parade- 
ground,  311 ;  entrance  near,  313. 

Mount  Vernon,  name,  60. 

Munroe,  Abel  B.,  house,  205. 

Munroe,  Rev.  Wm.  H.,  rectorate,  169. 

Murdock,  George,  grocery,  82. 

Murray,  Rev.  John,  pastorate,  208. 

Mutton  Alley,  location,  331. 

Myles,  Rev.  Samuel,  pastorate,  368. 


Nails,  wrought-iron,  32,  166.     (See  Treenails.) 

Nameless  Place,  48. 

Nannie's  Buildings,  location,  349. 


426 


Index. 


Naples,  Italy,  streets,  271. 

Narragansett  Indians  {q.  v.)  :  sachem,  67;  cap- 
turing a  vessel,  180. 

Nash  the  Pilot,  282. 

Nash,  William,  house,  286,  287. 

Nassau  Street,  house,  231. 

Naval  Office,  at  Red  Lion,  344. 

Navy,  Beecher  preparing  for,  260. 

Navy  Yard,  Charlestown,  ships  outward  bound, 
282. 

Navy  Yards  :  modern,  187  ;  private,  188.  (See 
Ships.) 

Neale,  Rev.  J.  M.,  translation,  335. 

Neck,  Boston:  a  thoroughfare,  126;  population, 
157.     (See  Roxbury.) 

Negroes:  in  Boston,  155;  seats  in  church,  169; 
sweeps,  301.     (See  African,  Slaves.) 

Netherlands,  architecture,  87.     (See  Dutch.) 

New  Brick  Church,  171,  202  ;  flagon,  286  ;  weak, 
311;  Revere  family,  326;  bell,  327;  building- 
committee,  327;  clock,  327,  328;  stone  suc- 
cessor, 330;  gone,  pastors,  331  ;  popular  name 
and  vane,  332  ;  nickname,  333;  gale,  334 ;  not 
the  oldest,  334. 

New  Brick  Society,  vote,  328. 

Newburyport,  Mass.:  stages,  350;  organ,  366. 

New  Cambridge  Galley,  freight,  174. 

Neweastle-on-Tyne,  a  Boston  resemblance,  19. 

Newell,  Harriet  (Atwood),  missionary,  2S5. 

Newel-post,  carved,  300. 

New  England  Bells,  first,  331. 

New  England  Faith,  vitalized,  335. 

New  England  Families:  Savages,  286;  portraits, 
322  ;  heirlooms,  324. 

New  England  Glass  Company,  233- 

New  England  Guards,  drummer,  100. 

New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society, 
portraits,  348. 

New  England  History,  Pemberton,  349. 

New  England  Houses:  old,  87;  farm,  108; 
primitive,  244;  stairs,  298;  model  architec- 
ture. 311. 

New  England  Liberty,  stronghold,  309. 

New  England  Fife  and  Character,  215. 

New  England  Population,  256. 

New  England,  servants  for,  400. 

New  England  Towns,  206. 


New  Hampshire,  travel  to  Boston,  126.  (See 
Concord.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  regicides,  232. 

Newman,  E.  Harriet,  aid  from,  ix. 

Newman,  Eliza  Harriet,  marriage,  152. 

Newman  Family,  traditions,  152. 

Newman,  Henry,  gift,  174. 

Newman  House:  article  on,  149-154;  cupola, 
152;  soldiers,  153;  allusion,  157,  205. 

Newman,  John  :  trade,  149;  organist,  150. 

Newman,  Mary,  bill  against,  150. 

Newman,  Peter,  teacher,  149. 

Newman,  Robert :  his  grandfather,  109  ;  trade, 
149;  position,  150;  the  Revere  signal,  151,  152, 
172;  claim  disputed,  marriage,  152. 

Newman,  Robert,  the  son,  killed,  152. 

Newman,  Samuel  Haskell,  marriage,  152. 

Newman,  Thomas  Church:  education,  149; 
patriotism,  150;  letter,  153. 

Newman,  Thomas:  purchase,  149;  reverses, 
150  ;  watching  ships,  153. 

New  Meeting  House  :  wood,  30S ;  appearance, 
308,  309 ;  burned,  309. 

New  North  (q.  v.)  Church  :  deacon,  109  ;  records, 
143,  144;  organized,  171,310;  a  founder,  180; 
families,  203  ;  pastors,  205,  210,  216,  220;  caps, 
206;  officers,  232;  Deacon  Lash,  273;  bell, 
2S6 ;  McKeans,  298;  description,  300;  ag- 
grieved brethren,  327  ;  Thacher,  333. 

New  Orleans,  execution,  314. 

Newport,  R.  L,  Bishop  Berkeley,  366,  367. 

New  Prince  (q.  v.)  Street :  name,  331  ;  vane 
accident,  334. 

New  State  House,  first  occupied,  13.    (See  Old.) 

Newton  Tablet,  368. 

New  Washington  Street,  Dragon  block,  95. 

New  Year's  celebration,  218. 

New  York  City:  encounter,  258;  news  of  Tea- 
party,  323  ;  magnificence,  383. 

Nichols,  Captain  Samuel,  house,  300. 

Nightdress  Story,  348. 

Nix's  Mate,  180. 

Noah's  Ark,  sign,  294. 

Noddle's  Island,  milk,  276.     (See  East  Boston.) 

Norcross,  Otis,  birthplace,  287. 

North  Battery,  neighborhood,  293. 

North  Bennet  (q.  v.)  Street,  195-209;  cut,  220. 


Index, 


427 


North  Briton,  magazine,  203. 

North  Burying-ground,  192. 

North  Burying-place,  237. 

North  Centre  Street,  name,  347. 

North  Church:  name,  171  ;  reference  to  Revere, 
172  ;  deacon,  285  ;  bell,  330.     (See  New,  Old.) 

North  Cock,  term,  332. 

North  End  :  a  locality  rarely  visited,  vii,  viii  ; 
backbone,  107  ;  hospital,  123  ;  Gray  property, 
124;  deed,  133;  only  school,  141  ;  the  Revere 
signal,  152  ;  stripped,  156  ;  pride,  165  ;  burials, 
191,  192;  Hutchinson  name,  205;  oldest  man, 
219;  benevolent  work,  2F9;  strolls,  225;  Re- 
vere foundry,  256;  ruling  elder,  266;  walks 
and  prominent  figure,  282  ;  Dr.  Hunt's  praise, 
282  ;  influence  of  Mathers,  285  ;  earthquake, 
294  ;  wealth,  297  ;  signs,  351,  352. 

North  End  Architecture,  SS. 

North  End  Boys  (q.v.)  :  feud.  257;  sports,  258. 

North  End  Caucus:  origin,  97;  calkers,  124. 

North  End  Cellars,  for  wine,  268. 

North  End  Churches:  changes,  157;  a  dominat- 
ing steeple,  170;  Episcopacy,  171  ;  choir,  239; 
one  only,  308;  one  weathercock,  332,  335. 

North  End  Coffee- House,  295-297. 

North-Enders :  assisting  the  writer,  ix ;  three 
generations,  268  ;  bakery,  2S6  ;  genuine,  287  ; 
opinion  about  a  church  destroyed,  310. 

North  End  Families  :  Lash,  80  ;  names  in  grave- 
yard, 191  ;  Harris,  200;  McKean,  297-299. 

North  End  Gardens  (q.  v.):  pride  in,  108;  Har 
ris,  202 ;  modern,  229. 

North  End  Houses,  115;  ten-footers  (q.v.),2jO] 
ancient,  365  ;  brick,  383 

North  End  Landmark,  149. 

North  End  Marketplace,  308. 

North  End  Mechanics,  150,  154,  172,  272,  282. 

North  End  Mission,  planted,  307. 

North  End  Shipyards,  239. 

North  End  Stores,  fish,  275. 

North  End  Streets,  rank,  199. 

North  End  Traditions,  172,  238. 

North  End  Traffic,  118. 

North  Grammar  School :  medals,  200 ;  Lash, 
273  ;  first  master,  344. 

North  Meeting  House,  material,  30S. 

North  Square  Church,   109,  171,  172,  208. 


North  Square:  fire,  210;  name,  286;  essay,  307- 
314;  shape,  307;  name,  307;  changes,  319; 
Revere  house,  321,  325;  crowd  and  decora- 
tions, 323  ;  bell,  330 ;  last  house,  346 ;  night 
before  Lexington,  348      (See  Old.) 

North  Street:  east  side,  19;  houses,  19,  25; 
passageways,  25,  40;  tablet,  47;  corners,  87, 
89;  widened,  89;  harbor,  107;  architecture, 
293;  (No.  362),  293;  tavern,  294;  name,  307; 
corner  sign,  343 ;  lower,  345 ;  Ochterlony 
house,  346-348. 

Northwest  Voyages,  125. 

North  Writing  School,  T40,  141. 

Norton,  Madam,  gift,  392. 

Norwich,  England,  Newman  family,  149. 

Noted  Bell,  essay,  327-331.     (See  New  Brick.) 

Nottage,  Nathaniel,  residence,  249. 


Oak:  frame,  88,  180;  planks,  124. 

Oars,  muffled,  348. 

Obedience,  from  love,  46. 

Ober,  John  P  ,  house,  243. 

Object-signs  (q.  v.),  few  remaining,  60.  (See 
Mercury. ) 

Ochterlony-Adan  House,  essay,  346-348. 

Ochterlony,  Alexander,  a  laird,  347. 

Ochterlony,  Captain  David,  purchase,  347. 

Ochterlony,  Sir  Charles-Metcalfe,  title,  347. 

Ochterlony,  Sir  David:  career,  347;  widow  and 
portrait,  348. 

Odds  and  Ends,  essay,  293-302. 

Oehringen  Cathedral,  335. 

Ohio  Country,  May  family,  296. 

Old  Affair,  cut,  345. 

Old  Age,  Franklin  on,  228. 

Old  Baily,  letter  from,  204. 

Old  Corner  Bookstore,  essay,  383-386. 

Old  Feather  {q.v.)  Store:  article  on,  87-89; 
pride,  history,  materials,  88 ;  last  use,  89. 

Old  Grog,  a  nickname,  60. 

Oldham,  John,  murdered,  180. 

Old  North  {q.v.)  Church:  location,  171  ;  demol- 
ished, 172  ;  Deacon  Langdon,  281. 

Old  North:  demolished,  310;  not  rebuilt,  311  ; 
bell,  328;  union,  331  ;  name,  weathercock,  332. 

Old  North  (q.v.)  Meeting  House,  172. 


428 


Index. 


Old  North  (q.  v.)  Square,  market,  53. 

Old  Ruin,  essay,  25,  26. 

Oil  South  {q.v.)  Church:  patriotic  meetings,  56; 
first  pastor,  156;  resemblance,  165;  fire,  201; 
Warren  oration,  274  ;  worshipping  in  King's 
Chapel,  367;  essay,  391-394;  changes  and 
clergy,  391;  scenes,  392;  historic  faces,  393; 
Rebellion,  394. 

Old  South  Clock:  allusion,  143;  jest,  378. 

Old  South  Letters,  exciting  interest,  89. 

Old  State  (q.  v.)  House  :  a  trust,  v  ;  essay,  9-14  ; 
connected  with  Massachusetts  affairs,  9  ;  sur- 
vival, 9;  restoration,  9,  10;  educational  in- 
fluence, 10;  site,  10;  bequest  and  foundation, 
10;  administrations,  10-12;  fire  (of  17 11),  10, 
11;  reconstruction  soon  after,  11  ;  uses  (since 
l79%)->  r3;  rededication  and  present  contents, 
13  ;  ornaments,  14  ;  Painters'  Arms,  47  ;  brick, 
171  j  sign,  352;  outer  walls,  383.     (See  A7ew.) 

Old  Testament,  quoted  in  pulpit,  310. 

Oliver,  Elder  Thomas,  land,  384. 

Oliver,  Governor,  private  doors,  309. 

Oliver,  Henry  J.,  house,  157. 

Oliver  the  Pilot,  282. 

Oliver,  Thomas,  lieutenant-governor,  98. 

Orange,  Robert,  house,  216. 

Ordinary,  a  famous,  294. 

Oregon  Territory,  194. 

Organ  :  in  church,  166,  167  ;  first  in  New  Eng- 
land, 366. 

Organist,  sent  for,  167. 

Orne,  Sarah,  marriage,  32 1. 

Orrok,  David,  house,  117. 

Otheman  Family,  estate,  48. 

Otis,  James,  Jr.:  speeches,  12;  dedicatory  ora- 
tion, 55;  patriotism,  322;  oration,  393. 

( Mis,  Mayor,  153. 

Outside  Galleries  (q.  v.),  specimen,  19. 

Overhanging  Post,  326. 

<  >xenbridge,  Rev.  John,  grave,  369. 

( Oxford,  Mass  ,  Huguenot  (q.  v.)  settlers,  80. 

Oysters,  how  sold,  275. 

Paddy,  Captain  William,  position,  347. 
Paddy's  Alley,  name,  347. 

John,  208. 
Page's  Court,  26. 


Paine,  John  :  deed,  20  ;  daughter,  20. 

Paine,  Robert  Treat :  portrait,  57  ;  grave,  370. 

Paine,  William,  house,  20. 

Painters' and  Stainers'  Company  :  in  London,  45; 

Exeter,  45,  46. 
Painters'   Arms :    procured,  39 ;   essay,   45-47  ; 

description,   45;     motto,    45,   46;     cabalistic 

letters,  46.     (See  Heraldry.) 
Palfrey,  Colonel  William  :  marriage,  80 ;  aide  to 

Washington,  207. 
Palfrey  Family,  allusion.  282. 
Palfrey,  Mrs.  William   anecdote,  243. 
Palfrey,  Rev.  Cazneau  :  aid,  ix;  home,  207. 
Palfrey,  Rev.  John  Gorham,  parents,  80. 
Palfrey,  William,  naval  officer,  207. 
Palmer,  Thomas,  house,  384. 
Panic  (of  1837),  351. 
Papillon,  Peter,  house,  117. 
Parker,  Caleb,  house,  226. 
Parker,  Captain  John,  house,  313. 
Parker,  Deacon  David,  house,  243. 
Parker  House,  San  Francisco,  243. 
Parker,  Isaac,  medal,  200. 

Parker,  Jedediah  :  patriotism,  150  ;  career,  226. 
Parker,  Mary  Adams,  life,  226. 
Parker,  Mrs.  Susan  E  ,  aid,  ix. 
Parker,  Robert,  243. 
Parker,  William,  house,  116. 
Park  Lane,  London,  31. 
Parkman,  Rev.   Francis:    church  accident,  298, 

299  ;  pastorate,  299. 
Parkman,  Samuel  :  trade,  33  ;  gift,  328. 
Parkman,    William:    aid,    ix  ;    traditions,    152; 

house,    157;    his  grandmother's  recollections, 

180,  181  ;  house,  257. 
Parks,  Captain,  house,  300. 
Parliament,  election  rejected,  204. 
Parsonage,  Second  Church,  319. 
Parsons,  Theophilus,  in  college,  131. 
Parsons  the  Pilot,  282. 
Parsons,  Thomas  W.,  literary  resort,  386. 
Pasture  ground,  216. 
Paternoster  Row,  London,  31. 
Patriots:  in  Boston,  55  ;  tavern-resort,  68  ;  meet- 
ings,97, 98;  spirit,  115,  116;  Newman  among, 

150,  172;  a  baker,  158.    (See  American  Army , 

Leach,  Revolution,   War  of  18 1 2.) 


Index. 


429 


Patten  Family,  pew,  163. 

Paul  Revere  House,  essay,  319-326. 

Peabody,  Rev.  Ephraim,  pastorate,  368. 

Peace,  proclaimed,  13. 

Pearce,  John,  house,  108. 

Pecker,  James,  building  committee,  327. 

Peep  through  Gateway,  288. 

Pell,  Captain  Edward,  building-committee,  327. 

Pemberton,  Rev.  Ebenezer :  feeble,  311;  pas- 
torate, 331,  391  ;  doctrines,  335. 

Pemberton,  Thomas,  antiquary,  349. 

Penitent  Female  Refuge  Society,  241. 

Penobscot  Expedition,  324. 

Peppergrass,  202. 

Pepperrell,  Sir  William,  1 1 ;  sister,  347. 

Percy,  Earl,  anecdote,  401. 

Perkins,  Dr.  John,  house,  347. 

Perry,  George,  300. 

Petell  Family,  pew,  163.     (See  Beteilhe.) 

Pews  :  plan,  163  ;  square,  166  ;  private  doers,  309; 
built  and  furnished  by  proprietors,  classes,  366. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  :  Franklin  in,  228  ;  news  car- 
ried to,  323. 

Phillipps,  Governor,  dinner  to,  96,  97. 

Phillips,  Gillam  :  pew,  163  ;  autograph,  169. 

Phillips,  John,  burial  place,  191. 

Phillips,    Lieutenant-Governor    William,   grave, 

369- 
Phillips,  Mayor  John,  grave,  370= 
Phillips  the  Pilot,  283. 
Phillips,  Thomas,  house,  79. 
Phillips,  Wendell,  portrait,  58. 
Phips,  Lady,  house,  237. 
Phips  Mansion:  Pitcairn's  death,  134;  location, 

158;    arch,   266;    sold,  267;   occupants,   268; 

opposite,  269. 
Phips,  Sir  William  :    governorship,  10 ;   house, 

237,  243 
Phips,  Spencer,  lieutenant-governor,  70. 
Pictures,  in  Faneuil  Hall,  56-58.     (See  Hancock, 

Phillips,  Tiles  ton.) 
Pierce,  Moses,  glazier,  313. 
Pigeon,  J.,  signature,  167. 
Pilasters,  carved,  249. 
Pilgrim  Houses,  87. 
Pilots:  one  noted,  t8o;  best  known,  282;  types 

and  homes,  283. 


Pirate,  hung,  180. 

Pirate's  Tunnel,  265. 

Pitcairn,  Major;  wounded,  131,  132;  son,  133; 
place  of  death,  134;  burial,  170. 

Pitcairn's  Chamber,  131. 

Pitcher,  Grace  (Pulling),  house,  238. 

Pitcher,  Richard,  house,  238. 

Pitforthy,  Laird  of,  347. 

Pitman  Family,  site,  205. 

Pitman,  Joshua  H.  :  aid  from,  ix ;  trade,  217. 

Pitts,  Captain  James,  house,  312. 

Pitts  Street,  view  towards,  125. 

Plate:  gift,  167,  174;  mortgage,  168;  contribu- 
tion, 169  ;  presented,  191.   (See  Christ  Church.) 

Plymouth,  Mass.,  architecture,  87. 

Poetic  Quotations:  on  the  street  image,  62;  the 
Tea-party,  97,98;  Pitcairn,  133;  Christ  Church, 
173;  weathercock,  335-338. 

Politics,  liberal,  335. 

Pond  Street,  name,  it6. 

Poore,  Ben  :  Perley,  relics  owned  b\\  375. 

Poplar-trees,  in  North  Square,  311. 

Porch  :  311  ;  Province  House,  375,  y]d. 

Porringers,  silver,  227. 

Port  Act,  vote,  323. 

Porter,  Admiral  :  father,  243;  descent,  296. 

Porter,  Captain  David,  landlord,  295,  296. 

Porter,  Captain  Lemuel,  voyages,  125. 

Porter,  Captain,  Revolution,  243. 

Porter,  Charles  H.,  house,  189. 

Porter,  Commodore  David,  house,  242. 

Porter's  Lodge,  376. 

Portland,  Maine:  stages,  350;  name,  400. 

Portland  Street,  corner,  207. 

Porto  Bello,  hero  of,  60. 

Potomac  River,  estate  on,  60. 

Portraits,  Miniature,  158.  (See  Faneuil  Hall, 
Pictures,    Tileston  ) 

Portsmouth,  N.  H.  :  stages,  350;  cost  of  travel, 
351  ;  organ,  366;  Field  family,  385. 

Port  Society,  house,  296. 

Portuguese  Church,  209. 

Postriders,  324. 

Pound,  Tom,  a  criminal,  180. 

Powars,  Daniel  E.,  house,  220. 

Powder,  stored  in  church,  309. 

Pownall,  Thomas,  governorship,  12. 


430 


Index. 


Pragg  Family,  pew,  163. 

Pratt,  Eleazer  F. :  aid,  ix ;  house  and  position, 

153- 

Pratt,  Jairus,  house,  239. 

Pray,  John,  house,  125. 

Preble,  Commodore  Edward,  portrait,  57. 

Prescott,  Jeremiah,  aid,  x. 

Presidential  Deaths,  331. 

Price  Lectures,  368. 

Price,  Rev.  Roger,  pastorate,  368. 

Price,  William:  pew,  163;  autograph,  169. 

Prince,  John  T.,  aid,  x. 

Prince  Library,  burned,  393. 

Prince,  Rev.  Thomas:  pastorate,  391;  event,  392. 

Prince  Street:  corners,  109;  few  changes,  115; 
passageway,  116;  (No.  57), 116;  (Nos.  51-53) 
and  name,  1 17  ;  ornaments,  118  ;  (No.  150)  and 
south  side,  125;  a  thoroughfare,  126;  Tileston 
house,  140;  Atkins  house,  194;  Whitman 
house,  269;  extended,  293;  mail,  350. 

Prince-Streeters,  fighting,  257. 

Prince  Street  Ferry.  237. 

Prince  Street  House,  essay,  131-134. 

Privateering :  spoils  brought  for  a  church,  166 ; 
arch,  266. 

Proctor,  Colonel  Edward:  patriotism,  150; 
house,   199,  200;  gift,  328;  autograph,  329. 

Proctor,  John,  216. 

Proctor,  John  S.,  house,  157. 

Province  Court,  378. 

Province  House  :  vane  {q,  v.),  58  ;  outside  sheath- 
ing, 156;  brick  (q.  v.),  171  ;  essay,  375~378- 

Province  Street,  378. 

Provincial  Post-office,  sign,  351. 

Public  Schools,  141.     (See  Eliot,  Tileston.) 

Pulling  Family,  traditions,  152. 

Pulling,  John:  Newman's  friend,  151;  historic 
claim,  152 ;  house.  238. 

Pulpit,  Methodist,  209. 

Punch,  a  daily  brew,  154. 

Punchbowl,  old,  227. 

Puritan  Doctrines,  335. 


Qui  1  n  of  rtuNGARY,  privateer  (q.  r-.),  166. 
<  hap<  I,  ](>(>.     (See  King's.) 

Qm  en  Street  :  heraldry,  47  ;  anecdote,  400. 


Quill  Pens,  200. 

Quincy,  Josiah  :  mayor,  153;  suppressing  boyish 

fights,  258. 
Quincy  Market,  granite,  116. 
Quincy  Patriot,  article  in  the,  71. 


Ratnsford,  Jonathan,  house,  312. 

Rainsford's  Corner,  237. 

Raising  Dinner,  170. 

Randolph,  Edward:  irrepressible,  344;  attend- 
ing church,  365. 

Ratcliffe,  Rev.  Robert,  rectorate,  368. 

Rawlins,  Richard,  house,  312. 

Rebellious  Meeting,  394. 

Rebels,  misguided,  400. 

Record  Commissioners,  report,  46. 

Redding,  Charles,  purchase,  47. 

Red  Lion  Inn,  owner,  343,  344. 

Red  Lion  Wharf,  owner,  344. 

Redoubt,  on  Copp's  Hill,  191. 

Redwood  Library,  366. 

Reed,  John,  Jr.,  bookstore,  385. 

Regulars,  military,  204.  (See  British,  Dragoons. 
Soldiers. ) 

Renaissance,  church-model,  299. 

Republican  Party,  in  the  old  days,  70. 

Republic,  Bank  of,  president,  229. 

Restieaux,  Robert,  house,  157. 

Revenge  Church,  333. 

Revenue  Acts,  opposed,  182. 

Revere  Copper  Company,  256. 

Revere  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Revere,  Paul  :  mechanics'  petition,  98,  99 ;  the 
famous  ride,  151,  152;  engraving,  170;  foun- 
dry, 172,  256;  tablet,  173;  descendants,  219; 
specimens  of  work,  227  ;  home,  240  241  ;  card, 
256;  whist,  313;  gifts,  313,328;  house,  314; 
essay,  319-326;  purchase,  320;  career,  321; 
fortune  and  character,  322  ;  the  massacre,  322, 
323;  other  rides,  323,  324;  work,  324;  public 
spirit,  325;  signature,  326;  bell,  327,  328,  331  ; 
preparation  for  the  ride,  348;  grave,  370. 

Revere  Place,  name,  240. 

Revolutionary  Army,  payment,  32. 

Revolutionary  Changes,  367. 

Revolutionary  History,  secret,  97. 


Index. 


431 


Revolutionary  Memories,   Mrs.   Snelling's,  268, 

269. 
Revolutionary  Navy,  Captain  Tucker,  283. 

Revolutionary  Officers:  homes,  157  ;  highest  sur- 
viving, 284.     (See  individual  names.) 

Revolutionary  Patriots  :  resort,  68  ;  Newman 
((/.  v.),  150;  united  mechanics,  272;  Lash, 
273;  Revere   (q.  v.),  326. 

Revolutionary  Relics,  124. 

Revolutionary  Sacrifices :  costly,  311;  by  wo- 
men, 348. 

Revolutionary  Song,  97,  98. 

Revolutionary  War :  stirring  commencement, 
12;  outbreak,  56;  Boston  estates  afterward, 
115  ;  allusions,  167,  171  ;  houses  used  for  fuel 
(q.  v.),  286;  close,  295;  vane,  335;  Province 
House,  376;  town-meetings,  391 ;  Essex  Street, 
401.     (See  American,  Boston,  British,  War.) 

Rhoades  Brothers,  hatters,  240. 

Rhoades,  Captain  Stephen  H.,  house,  157. 

Rhoades,  Stephen,  house,  275. 

Rhode  Island:  army,  296;  Revere  letter,  325; 
governors,  344. 

Richards,  John,  trustee,  319. 

Richardson,  a  druggist,  240. 

Richmond  Street:  corner,  109;  residences,  1  io  ; 
sign,  343  ;  cartway  and  cut,  345. 

Ridgway,  Deacon  Samuel:  conveyance,  311  ; 
signature,  314  ;  gift,  328. 

Ridgway,  Ebenezer,  gift,  328. 

Ridley,  Isaac,  estate,  218. 

Ridout  (Rideout)  Family,  pew,  163. 

Rifle  Rangers,  157. 

Ripley,  John,  house,  230. 

Ripley,  Peter,  house,  157. 

Ritchie,  John,  house,  243. 

Rivoire,  Apollos,  ancestry  and  life,  321.  (See 
Revere. ) 

Roach  Family,  pew,  163. 

Robbery,  highway,  154. 

Robb  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Robbins,  Rev.  Chandler:  sermon,  219;  house, 
287  ;  pastorate,  331  ;  doctrines,  335. 

Robinson  &  Smith,  regilding  vane,  ^33- 

Robinson,  Colonel  James:  patriotism,  150,  gar- 
den, 1  c;6. 

Robinson,  Henry,  house,  189. 


Robinson,  John,  house,  189,  190. 
Robinson's  Alley,  229,  230. 
Robinson,  Simon  Wiggin,  house,  157. 
Roby,  Joseph,  gift,  328. 
Rochambeau,  General,  army,  296. 
Rochelle,  France,  exiles,  80. 

Rogers,  Captain  Thomas,  house,  286. 

Rogers  Family,  allusion,  202. 

Rogers,  Joseph,  house,  229. 

Roman  Catholics,  buying  church,  299. 

Roman  Catholic  School,  Moon  Street,  287. 

Rome:  ghetto,  229;  churches,  299. 

Romney:  boats  of  the,  182;  removal,  393. 

Roof:  a  quaint,  14;  hipped,  26;  slated,  32; 
gambrel  (q.  v.),  116,  156;  changed,  117;  New- 
man's, 151;  protected,  311. 

Roster,  found,  123. 

Rotterdam,  Holland,  canals,  87.  (See  Dutch, 
Netherlands. ) 

Rough-cast  Houses,  88. 

Rowc,  Rev.  Stephen,  pastorate,  368. 

Roxbury,  Mass. :  residents,  46  ;  cemeteries,  191  ; 
apples  taken,  259  ;  highway  to,  384. 

Roxbury  Neck  (q.  v.),  travel,  126. 

Royal  Arms,  picture,  375. 

Royal  Exchange,  London,  58. 

Royal  Humane  Society,  origin,  189. 

Rubble,  for  underpinning,  156. 

Ruck,  John  :  estate,  109  ;  house  sold,  267. 

Ruddick,  Major  John,  size,  295. 

Ruggles,  Samuel,  builder,  54. 

Rumford,  Count,  youth,  ^.  (See  Benjamin 
Thompson.) 

Russell,  Major  Benjamin,  editorship,  69. 

Russell,  Mrs.  Thomas,  aid  from,  ix. 

Rust,  Jacob  P.,  house,  125. 


Saint  Andrew's  Lodge,   purchase,  97.     (See 

Masonic.) 
Saint  Cloud,  France,  Bostonians  at,  70. 
Saint  Foy,  Huguenots,  321. 
Saint  George's  Day,  96. 
Saint  Thomas's  Hospital,  London,  131. 
Salem  Church,  219,  220. 
Salem,  Mass.  :  architecture,  89;  stages,  351. 
Salem  Street  Academy,  258. 


432 


Index. 


Salem  Street :  printing-office,  34  ;  east  side,  107; 
west  side,  no;  corner  of  Charter,  134,  z\i\ 
corner  of  Sheafe,  149,  151;  new  brick  build- 
ing, 153  ;  Snelling  house,  158  ;  signal,  172,  173; 
view  of,  180;  Gray  house,  194;  houses,  205  ; 
celebrations,  218  ;  Love  Street,  230  ;  old  name, 
237  ;  game,  25S  ;  tunnel,  265  ;  (No.  190),  268; 
houses,  208,  269;  east  corner  of  Charter,  269; 
child  lost,  358. 

Salt  Lane,  40. 

Salutation  Alley:  essay,  271-275;  a  church 
entrance,  274. 

Salutation  Tavern,  272. 

Sambo,  a  marked  figure,  300. 

Samplers,  old,  227. 

Sampson,  George  R.,  house,  242. 

Sampson,  Zephaniah,  house,  242. 

Sandemanian  Church,  97,  202. 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,  243. 

Sandwich  Islands,  194. 

Sargent,  Loring,  house,  125. 

Sargent,  Miss  M.  J.,  aid  from,  ix. 

Saturday,  half-holiday  on,  141. 

Saugus,  Mass.:  Gallop  family,  180;  refugees, 
226. 

Saugus  River,  settlement,  188. 

Saunders  the  Pilot,  282. 

Savage,  Arthur,  gift,  167. 

Savage  Family,  founded,  286. 

Savage,  Major  Thomas  :  estate,  286  ;  grave,  369. 

Savage,  Thomas,  office,  82. 

Savage,  William,  medal,  200. 

Scarlet's  Wharf  Lane,  281. 

S«  arlet's  Wharf  :  name,  281  ;  neighborhood,  286. 

Schoolchildren,  and  hay,  359 

School  Street:  name,  141,  384;  corner,  383; 
house  entrance,  385 

Scituatc,  Mass.  :  drive  thither,  169;  shipbuilding, 
194  ;   Fells  family,  226. 

Scollay's  Building,  heraldry.  47. 

Scotch  People:  Douglas  family,  97;  the 
M<  Keans,  297;    kindness,  298. 

Scots'  Charitable  Society,  earlv  meetings,  80,  81, 
98. 

Scottow'a  Alley,  location,  40. 

Scottow,  Thomas,  land,  384. 

Seam<  n'a  Bethel,  location,  314. 


Sears,  Captain  Alexander  :  house,  242  ;  build- 
ing-committee, 327. 

Second  Baptist  Church:  deacon,  116;  promi- 
nent members,  188. 

Second  Church:  vane,  58;  location,  171,  202; 
to-day,  172  ;  pastorate,  208;  membership,  231, 
239;  flagon,  286;  established,  308 ;  corporate 
name,  311;  parsonage,  319;  organized,  327; 
union,  pastors,  331;  corporate  name,  332; 
tithing-man,  344. 

Second  Story,  overhanging,  249,  288,  320. 

Secret  Drawer,  227. 

Sedgwick,  Major  Robert,  land,  384. 

Selectmen:  offices  removed,  55,  day,  141. 

Selfridge,  Thomas  O.,  murder  by,  90. 

Seraphim  publication,  335. 

Sergeant,  Peter,  mansion,  376. 

Seventeenth  of  June,  celebrations,  330. 

Sewall  Family,  215. 

Sewall,  Judge  Samuel:  real  estate,  179;  aid  to 
Byles,  231  ;  grave,  370  ;  confession,  392. 

Sewall,  Rev.  Joseph  :  marriage  ceremony,  321; 
dedication  text,  392. 

Sewall's  Diary,  quoted,  47,  192. 

Shakespeare's  Works,  read  aloud,  274. 

Shaw  Family,  well  known,  314. 

Shaw,  Francis,  estate,  314. 

Shaw,  on  the  tunnel,  265,  266. 

Shaw,  Robert  G,  new  street,  349. 

Sheafe,  Jacob  :  an  early  settler,  156;  grave,  369. 

Sheafe,  Margaret,  marriage,  156. 

Sheafe  Street:  corner  of  Salem,  149;  of  Mar- 
garet, 153;  essay,  155-157;  name,  156;  pas- 
ture, 156;  clergy,  157;   Beecher,  258. 

Sheaffe  House:  essay,  399-402;  picture,  402. 

Sheaffe,  Madam,  honored  in  her  son,  401,  402. 

Sheaffe,  Sir  Roger  Hale:  career,  401,  402; 
autograph,  401. 

Sheaffe,  Susannah  (Child),  letter,  400. 

Sheaffe,  William,  position,  400. 

Sheathing:    outside    protection,    156;    wooden, 

Shell  Mortar,  294,  376. 

Shepard  Memorial  Church,  vane,  334. 

Shepard,  William,  gentleman,  313. 

Sherburne,  John,  landlord,  116. 

Sherburne,  Reuben  B.  :  aid,  ix  ;  agency,  116. 


Index. 


433 


Sherburne,  William:  gift,  328;  autograph,  329. 

Sherren,  Richard,  land,  216. 

Sherwin,  Richard,  house,  117. 

Ships:  figureheads,  61,  62;  house  like,  107; 
timber,  124;  Newman's,  153  ;  privateers  (a. v.), 
166;  Cambridge  galley,  174;  capture,  180;  a 
sloop,  182;  war,  187;  best,  320.  (See  indi- 
vidual names  and  Navy.) 

Ship  Street :  houses,  19  ;  west  side,  188  ;  north 
side,  286 ;  south  side,  294. 

Ship  Tavern,  essay,  294,  295. 

Shipwrights,  187-190.     (See  Calkers.) 

Shipyards:  earliest,  239;  principal,  281. 

Shirley,  William:  brilliant  governorship,  n; 
portrait,  56  ;  corner-stone,  366  ;  family,  368  ; 
grave,  369  ;  consulted,  384. 

Short  Street,  name,  205. 

Shrimpton,  Henry,  heirs,  384. 

Shurtleff,  Nathaniel  B.  :  model,  95  ;  house,  131. 

Shute,  Governor:  allusion,  11  ;  office,  376. 

Sidewalks:  a  novelty,  124;  interfering  with 
steps,  153. 

Siege  of  Boston  (a.  v.)  :  causing  a  school  inter- 
val, 140;  tunnel,  265;  officers  and  places,  287. 

Signs:  store,  60;  tavern,  61,  69;  sun,  81,  82; 
dragon,  99;  horse,  117;  oldest,  343;  Mercury, 
&c.,  351,  352;  unique,  357;  toby,  358.  (See 
Bite,  Hancock,  Object.) 

Silsbee,  Enoch,  house,  124. 

Simmons,  Valentine,  house,  287. 

Simonds,  gold  medal,  250. 

Simpkins,  Deacon,  pew,  298. 

Simpson,  Daniel,  drummer,  100. 

Simpson's  Store,  88,  89. 

Sinclair,  Thomas,  house,  126. 

Singleton,  Captain  John,  house,  243. 

Skill ing,  Simeon  :  house  and  trade,  206,  207  ; 
carving,  274. 

Skinner  Family,  pew,  163. 

Sky  Line,  194. 

Slack,  Charles  W.  :  aid  from,  ix  ;  marriage,  207. 

Slaves,  mentioned  in  will,  155.  (See  African, 
Negroes. ) 

Sleepy  Hollow,  225. 

Sliding  xMley,  name,  255. 

Smibert,  John  :  portraits,  artist,  54  ;  arrival,  366. 

Smith,  Alexander,  landlord,  96. 


Smith,  Benjamin:  port-warden,  no;  house,  125. 

Smith,  Edmund,  house,  287. 

Smith  Family,  allusion,  282. 

Smith,  Hannah,  gift,  167. 

Smith,  Rev.  Amos,  pastorate,  299. 

Smith,  Rev.  Samuel  Francis,  house,  157. 

Smithett,  Rev.  William  T.,  rectorate,  169. 

Smuggling,  arch  for,  266. 

Smyrna  Figs,  in  market,  359. 

Snelling,  Colonel  Josiah,  Jr.,  home  and  career, 
158. 

Snelling  House,  location,  158. 

Snelling,  John:  house,  no,  157;  medal,  200. 

Snelling,  Josiah :  church  interest,  208  ;  house, 
26S. 

Snelling,  Mary  Whitlock,  anecdote,  268,  269. 

Snider,  bust  of,  323. 

Snow,  Deacon  Ephraim,  house,  208. 

Snow  Hill,  location,  190. 

Snow  Hill  Street:  gardens,  124,  125;  corner, 
190;  neighborhood,  191. 

Snow,  Thomas,  house,  157. 

Sohier,  Edward,  house,  384. 

Soldiers,  wounded,  243.  (See  British,  Revolu- 
tionary. ) 

Somerset  Street,  church,  100 

South  Church,  name,  391.     (See  Old.) 

South-Enders,  fights,  257. 

South  End:  schools,  141  ;  population,  156. 

South  Street,  distillery,  399. 

Southwark,  Captain,  gift,  167. 

Spanish  Main  :  service  on,  60;  prizes,  267. 

Sparmakers,  202.   (See  Mastmakers,  Shipwrights.) 

Sprague,  Charles,  literary  resort,  386. 

Sprague  Family,  house,  287. 

Spy,  the  pilot-boat,  282. 

Stable,  first  brick,  286. 

Stages,  rendezvous,  351. 

Staircase  :  ornamental,  226;  secret,  283;  outside, 
288. 

Stairways  :  from  room,  298  ;  carved,  300. 

Stamp  Act :  meetings,  55  ;  repealed,  168. 

Stanbury,  Thomas,  tavern,  87. 

Stanwood  Family,  allusion,  282. 

Staples,  Edward,  house,  124. 

Star  Fire  Society,  secretary,  273. 

Starr,  William,  in  prison,  204. 


434 


Index. 


State  House  :  built,  219;  completed,  376. 

State  Officers,  residence,  376. 

State  Street :  allusion,  55 ;  image,  60,  62  ;  cor- 
ner, 61;  newspaper  office,  69;  political  mur- 
der, 90 ;  corner-stone,  325. 

Steam  Fire-engine,  201. 

Stearns,  Charles  H. :  aid  from,  ix;  home,  243. 

Stearns,  Rev.  Samuel  H.,  pastorate,  391. 

Steele,  John,  house,  199. 

Steele,  Justice,  199. 

Steeple:  high,  170;  new,  171;  lanterns,  172; 
not  built,  367  ;  distant  view,  394. 

Stetson,  Lebbeus,  new  street,  349. 

Stevens  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Stevenson  Family,  ancestry,  313. 

Stillman,  Rev.  Samuel,  garden,  157. 

Stillman  Street,  church,  100. 

Stoddard  House,  location,  133. 

Stoddard,  John,  church  interest,  208. 

Stoddard,  Thomas,  boat-builder,  133. 

Stokes,  Benjamin,  house,  133. 

Stone  Chapel,  name,  367.     (See  King's.) 

Stone,  Doctor,  new  street,  349. 

Stores,  old,  384. 

Stories,  projecting,  88.     (See  Second.) 

Stoughton,  Governor:  administration,  10;  real 
estate,  96. 

Stow,  Rev.  Baron,  house,  157. 

Streeter,  Rev.  Sebastian:  residences,  157,190; 
pastorate,  208. 

Streets:  names  unwisely  changed,  179;  sunny, 
?37- 

Street-venders,  at  North  End,  118. 

Strong,  Caleb,  portrait,  57. 

Stuart  Dynasty,  devotion  to,  344. 

Stuart,  Gilbert  Charles  :  paintings,  57  ;  proposed 
portrait  (</.  v.)  of  Tileston,  143;  portraits  by, 

Stubbs  the  Pilot,  282. 

Sturgis,  Russell  :  gift,  328;  autograph,  329. 

Sturgis,  Samuel  :  gift,  328  ;  autograph,  329. 

Sudbury,  Mass.,  Indians,  343. 

Suffolk  County,  sheriff,  13. 

Suffolk  Deeds,  x,  46. 

Suffolk  Resolves,  carried  to  Congress,  323. 

Sullivan,  Deacon  John,  kind  invitation,  359. 

Sullivan.  Governor  James,  grave,  370, 


Sullivan  Tablet,  368. 
Sullivan  the  Pilot,  282. 
j   Sumner,  Benjamin,  229. 
j   Sumner,  Charles,  literary  resort,  386. 
Sumner,  Increase  :  governorship,  13  ;  grave,  370. 
Sun  Court :  corner  house,  39;  queer  house,  288  ; 

architecture,   293  ;    Fleet   Street  corner,  295  ; 

Bethel,  314. 
Sunday:  firesides,  207;  drivers,  351. 
Sunday-school :  early,  170  ;  charities  earlier,  188. 
Sunderland,  Captain  John,  house,  312. 
Sun  Tavern  :  in  plan,  yj  ;  essay,  79-82  ;  changes, 

price,  80. 
Supreme  Judicial  Court,  crier,  1 16. 
Surgery,  in  Boston,  131. 
Suter,  John  F.,  view  from  his  house,  125. 
Swett  the  Pilot,  282. 
Swift  Estate,  239. 
Swift,  Henry,  house,  189. 
Swift,  John  J.  :  house,  229;  wife,  313. 
Swift,  Mary,  house,  348. 
Swimming,  at  North  End,  345. 
Syndicate,  for  a  street,  225. 


Tablets  :  Wadsworth,  47  ;    Union  Street,  95 ; 

Revere,   173;     Copp's   Hill   {q.  v.),   190,   191. 

(See  Granary,  King's  Chapel.) 
Tailer,  Governor,  11  ;  daughter,  231. 
Talbot,  Newton,  aid,  x. 
Talcott  Mountain,  tower,  344. 
Talleyrand  :  in  Boston,  69  ;  penknife,  71. 
Tapestry,  Province  House,  376. 
Taproom,  Williams  Court,  357. 
Tar  and  Feathers,  in  Ireland,  400. 
Tarbell,  Mrs.  J.  A.,  aid  from,  ix. 
Taverns  :    in    Boston,  61,  67-70  ;    Sun,  79-82  ; 

Green    Dragon,  95-100;    Canal,   116;    Black 

Horse,   117;    Dwight's,  149.     (See  Bite,  Inn, 

Red  Lion,  and  other  individual  names.) 
Taylor,  Rev.  Edward,  life-work,  314. 
Tea-caddy,  old,  227. 
Tea  Party :  meeting  about,  56,  393  ;  song,  98  ;  a 

participant's  account,  124;    Lincoln  in,  219; 

May,  296 ;  Revere,  323. 
Temple,  Captain  Robert :  pew,  163  ;  autograph, 

169. 


Index. 


435 


Temple  of  American  History,  394. 

Temple,  Sir  Thomas,  trustee,  319. 

Ten-footers,  Charter  Street,  244,  270. 

Tenney,  Deacon  Samuel,  243. 

Tewksbury  the  Pilot,  282. 

Thacher,  Isaac,  wife,  313. 

Thacher,  Rev.  Peter :  in  college,  131  ;  house, 
216;  installation,  220;  pastorate,  299  ;  patriot- 
ism, 322  ;  personal  reference,  333. 

Thacher,  Rev.  Thomas:  marriage,  156;  pastor- 
ate, 391. 

Thacher  Street:  corner,  115;  passageway,  116; 
name,  156. 

Thackeray's  Works,  read  aloud,  274. 

Thanksgiving  Day  :  dinners,  156  ;  firesides,  207  ; 
celebration,  218. 

Thaxter,  Samuel,  business  and  descendants,  61. 

Thayer,  Cotton,  house,  229. 

Thayer,  John  :  druggist,  240;  house,  275. 

Thayer,  Minot,  store,  385. 

Thayer,  Samuel  M.,  store,  385. 

Third  Church,  name,  391. 

Thomas,  Edward,  merchant,  347. 

Thomas,  Elias,  senior  and  junior,  109. 

Thomas,  Isaiah,  publisher,  34. 

Thomas,  Mary,  marriage,  149, 

Thomas,  Peter,  estate,  109. 

Thompson,  Benjamin,  clerk,  33.   (See  Rumford.) 

Thompson,  Captain  Erasmus,  house,  190. 

Thompson's  Island,  institution,  268. 

Thompson,  Thomas,  new  street,  349. 

Thompson,  William,  house,  241. 

Thoreau,  Henry  D  ,  descent,  117. 

Thoreau,  John,  Jr.,  birth,  117. 

Thoreau,  Maria,  last  of  the  family,  117. 

Thoreau  Sisters,  Elizabeth,  Jane,  and  Sarah, 
117. 

Thursday  Lecture,  instituted,  53. 

Thursday:  market-day,  53;  half-holiday,   141. 

Ticknor  &  Fields,  bookstore,  386. 

Ticknor,  William  D.,  store,  385. 

Tiles,  Biblical,  274. 

Tileston,  James,  building-committee,  327. 

Tileston,  John,  house,  139. 

Tileston,  Master  John:  residence,  126;  essav, 
139-144;  accident,  139;  writing,  139,  140; 
exercise,   Johnny  Crump,    141  ;    figure,    143 ; 


death,  144;  bill,  150;  wife,  203;  described, 
225  ;  name,  230-232 ;  wig,  298 ;  goods  sold, 
359- 

Tileston,  Rebecca  Fowle,  139. 

Tileston  Street,  name  and  location,  151. 

Tileston,  Thomas,  139. 

Tileston  Tide  Mill,  location,  139. 

Tileston,  Timothy,  139. 

Tippecanoe,  battle  of,  158. 

Tippin  Family,  pew,  163. 

Tirrell,  Edward,  house,  no. 

Toby,  the  sign,  358. 

Tolman's  Sketches,  viii,  377. 

Tombs,  under  a  church,  170. 

Topliff,  Obedience,  marriage,  192. 

Topography,  of  Boston,  vii. 

Tories,  98,  172. 

Tower  of  London,  202. 

Town  Crier,  357~359- 

Town  Dock,  market,  53. 

Towne,  Rev.  Joseph  H.  :  house,  157;  pastorate, 
219. 

Town  Hall:  first  and  second,  10;  tablet,  11; 
old  description,  11,  12;  troops  quartered  in, 
12;  character  preserved.  14;  old,  55;  illumi- 
nated, 96.     (See  Old  State  House.) 

Town  Meetings :  over  the  market,  54  ;  notable, 
56  ;  Revolutionary,  391,  392  ;  series,  392. 

Town  Pump,  in  North  Square,  314. 

Town  Records,  x. 

Townsend,  Ebenezer,  street,  225. 

Townsend,  Isaac,  gift,  328. 

Townsend,  Shippie,  208. 

Transom  Window  [a.  v.),  33. 

Treake,  John,  trustee,  319. 

Tremere  Family,  19. 

Tremere  House  :  descriptive  essay,  19,  20  ;  his- 
tory, 20;  adjoining  houses,  25  ;  windows,  226. 

Tremere  the  Pilot,  283. 

Tremont  Street:  residents,  231  ;  bookstore,  386. 

Treenails,  124.     (See  Nails.) 

Trench,  John,  house,  242. 

Trinity  Church,  founded,  399. 

Trinity,  doctrine  excluded,  367. 

Troutbeck,  Rev.  John,  pastorate,  368. 

Trucks,  protection  from,  124. 

True  Blues,  military  company,  124. 


436 


Index. 


Truman's  Estate,  sold,  218. 

Tucker,  Commodore  Samuel :  mansion  and  life, 
283  ;  death,  284;  secret  stairway,  297. 

Tudor,  Deacon  John  :  conveyance,  311  ;  auto- 
graph, 314. 

Tudor,  John,  gift,  32S. 

Tudor,  Thomas,  gift,  167. 

Tudor,  William,  in  college,  131. 

Turell,  Daniel,  house,  320. 

Turine,  Daniel,  house,  312. 

Turner,  Job,  block  built  by,  205. 

Tuttle,  Daniel,  house,  109. 

Two  Palaverers,  sign,  272. 

Tyler,  Andrew,  goldsmith,  347. 

Tyler,  Edward  :  house,  109 ;  gift,  328. 

Tyler,  Miriam  (Pepperrell),  marriage,  347. 


Union  Street  :  intersection,  31  ;  corner,  33, 
34,  100  ;  tavern  block,  95  ;  widened   96. 

Union  Wharf :  passageway,  25  ;  owner,  238. 

Unitarians  :  and  the  weathercock,  335  ;  their 
first  church,  36S. 

United  States:  customhouse,  72;  army,  15S 
(see  American);  and  Oregon,  174;  church- 
edifices,  391. 

Unity  Street:  name  and  location,  151 ;  residents, 
21S;  described,  221-230;  picture,  239,241. 

Universalism  in  Boston,  208. 

Upshall  (Upsall),  Nicholas:  burial-place,  191; 
land,  23S  ;  descendants,  343  ;  inn,  344. 


Vacations,  school,  141. 

Valentine,  Thomas,  house,  80. 

Vanes:  described.  58,  50. ;    Indian,   375.      (See 

Cockerel,   Grassh  op  per . ) 
Vane,  Sir  Harry,  governorship,  67. 
Vanncvar,  Alexander,  house,  207. 
Vassal!  Monument,  368. 
Vassal!  (Yassell),  Major   Leonard:   pew,  1635 

gift,   167  ;  autograph,   169. 
Veazie,  Joseph,  house,  1 10. 
V(  azie's  Lane,  loft,  109. 
Veazii  .  Mrs.  foseph  A.,  aid  from,  ix. 
Vernon,  Admiral  Edward:  popularity,  60;  image, 

60-62  ;   tavern,  61. 


Vernon,  Captain  Fortesque,  238. 

Vernon,  Elizabeth,  school,  239. 

Vernon,  Fortesque,  238. 

Vernon  Place:    (No.  23),  238,  239;  houses,  249, 

250 ;  name,  249. 
Vernon's  Wharf,  238. 
Vernon,  William,  plantation,  238. 
Vialle,  Charles  A.,  home,  229. 
Vialle.  Stephen,  Jr.,  home,  229. 
Viall,  John,  vintner,  294. 
Vinal  &  Orcutt,  vane,  334. 
Vincent  the  Pilot,  282. 
Vinegar  Bible,  167. 
Virginia,  a  teacher  there,  149. 
Voussoirs,  227. 
Vyall,  John,  inn,  308. 


Wadsworth  Athenaeum,  location,  344. 

Wadsworth,  Captain  Samuel,  killed,  343. 

Wadsworth,  Christopher,  early  settler,  343. 

Wadsworth,  Joseph  :    positions,    343 ;    descend- 
ants, 344. 

Wadsworth,  M.  E.,  aid,  x. 

Wadsworth,  Peleg,  at  college,  131. 

Wadsworth,  Recompense,  teacher,  205,  344. 

Wadsworth,  Rev.  Benjamin,  343. 

Wadsworth 's  Massacre,  343. 

Wadsworth  Store,  ^3- 

Wadsworth 's  Tower,  344. 

Wadsworth,  Susannah  (Cocke),  sign,  344. 

Wadsworth,  Susannah,  marriage,  344. 

Wadsworth  Tablet:  allusion,  47;  essay,  343-345. 

Wadsworth,  Timothy :     memorial    and    career, 
343»  344;  sign,  344- 

Wainscoting,  Province  House,  375. 

Wainwright,  John,  sale,  46. 

Waldo,  John,  house,  133. 

Waldron,  Rev.  William,  pastorate,  331. 

Walker,  Captain  Richard,  trustee,  319. 

Walker,  Edward  B.,  house,  189. 

Walker,  Rachel,  marriage,  321. 

Walker,  Sarah  Wvborne,  sale,  320. 

Walker,  Thomas,  house,  320. 

Wallack,  Moses,  armorer,  402. 

Walsh's  Lemon-stand,  154. 
Walter  Family,  reminiscences,  134. 


Index. 


437 


Walter,  Rev.  William:  rectorate,  169;  house, 
268. 

Wanton,  Edward,  inn,  344. 

Wanton  Family,  four  governors,  344. 

Ward,  Captain  William,  house,  230. 

Ware,  Rev.  Henry,  Jr..  residences,  157,  208; 
pastorate,  331  ;  doctrines,  335. 

War  of  1812  :  resort  of  officers,  70;  relics,  124  ; 
a  soldier,  152;  battles,  158;  celebration,  230; 
major,  250. 

Warren,  Commodore  Sir  Peter,  expedition,  11. 

Warren,  Dr.  John,  condition  of  Boston,  123. 

Warren,  Dr.  John  C,  vane,  377. 

Warren,  General  Joseph  :  portrait,  57 ;  free- 
masonry, 97  ;  club,  272  ;  orations,  274,  393. 

Warwhoop,  Revolutionary,  393. 

Warwick,  Mass.,  167. 

Washburn,  James,  house,  243. 

Washington  City :  Snelling's  death,  158;  sym- 
metry, 383. 

Washington  Elm,  guarded,  335. 

Washington,  George  :  last  visit  to  Boston,  13; 
portrait,  57;  hat-peg,  70;  bust,  166;  recep- 
tion, 200;  aide,  207;  correspondence,  325; 
death-bell,  331;    visit  (of   1756),   384;    entry, 

393- 

Washington,  Lawrence,  estate,  60. 

Washington  Street :  Tileston's  walk,  143;  pas- 
sage to,  357  ;  Province  House,  375,  377  ;  (No. 
329),  378;  School  Street  building,  383;  boun- 
dary, 384.     (See  Neck,  Old  South.) 

Wasp,  pilot-boat,  282. 

Watchhouse,  bell,  330. 

Watchmen's  Cries,  360. 

Water-mills,  124. 

Waters,  Ebenezer,  house,  155. 

Waters  Family,  155. 

Waters  House,  location,  126. 

Waterston,  Rev.  Robert  C,  pastorate,  299. 

Water-tables,  207,  227. 

Watertown,  Mass.,  minister,  181. 

Watson,  David,  purchase,  270. 

Watson,  Doctor,  the  lantern-claim,  152. 

Watson  Family,  estate,  270. 

Watts,  Edward:  pew,  163;  autograph,  169. 

Watts  Family,  coat-of-arms,  192. 

Way,  Lieutenant  Richard,  trustee,  319. 


Wayne,  Captain  Benjamin,  house,  286. 

Weathercock  :  allusion,  327  ;  essay,  332-338;  in 
Cambridge,  334;  in  iVIiddle  Ages,  335.  (See 
Ancient.) 

Webb,  Barnabas,  charity,  144. 

Webb,  Elisha,  teacher,  143. 

Webb,  Henry,  his  family,  156. 

Webb,  Margaret,  marriage,  156. 

Webb,  Mary,  charity  and  character,  125,  18S 
189. 

Webb,  Nathan,  teacher,  200. 

Webb,  Rev.  John  :  house,  220;  pastorate,  299. 

Webb,  Sally,  marriage,  188. 

Webb,  Samuel,  family,  188. 

Webster  Avenue,  229,  230. 

Webster,  Daniel  :  great  picture,  57  ;  bust,  58  ; 
speech  in  Andover,  99. 

Webster,  Professor  John  White,  284. 

Webster,  Redford,  druggist,  284. 

Weekes,  Samuel  :  pew,  163;  autograph,  169. 

Weeping  Willow,  North  Square,  311. 

Weiss,  John,  wife,  1S1. 

Weiss,  Rev  John,  family,  181. 

Wellington,  Alfred  A  ,  grocery,  82. 

Wells- Adams  House,  essay,  107-110. 

Wells,  Benjamin  Tuttle,  house  and  family,  109 

Wells,  John,  house,  109. 

Wells,  John  B.,  house,  242. 

Wells,  John  T.,  aid,  ix. 

Wells,  Mayor:  house,  157  ;  estates,  238,  249 

Wells,  Thomas,  appointment,  169. 

Welsh  Slate,  specimen,  295. 

Welsteed,  Rev  William  :  pastorate,  331  ;  doc- 
trines, 335. 

Wendell,  Oliver,  grave,  369. 

Wenham,  Mass.,  Kimball  family,  226. 

West  Boston  Bridge  {q.  v.),  gale,  170.  (See  Cam- 
bridge, Ckarlestowii .) 

West-Enders,  fights,  257. 

Wrest  End  :  school,  141  ;  homes,  272. 

West  India  Goods,  88. 

Wetherbee,  Jeremiah,  house,  256. 

Wharves:  several,  238;  principal,  281,  282. 

Wheaton,  Caleb,  gift,  328. 

Wheildon's  Pamphlet,  152. 

Whigs  :  convention,  99  ;  zeal,  295. 

Whipple,  Edwin  P.,  literary  resort,  386. 


438 


Index. 


Whispering  Gallery,  271. 

Whist,  game  of,  313. 

Whitebread  Alley,  houses,  295. 

Whitefield,  Rev.  George,  voice,  392. 

White,  Isaac,  gifts,  311,  328. 

White,  John,  wealthy  baker,  284. 

Whitman  Family,  house,  125. 

Whitman  House,  fireplace,  269. 

Whitman,  Samuel,  house,  180. 

Whitmore,  W.  H.,  aid  from,  ix. 

Whitten  Family,  pew,  163. 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  literary  resort,  386. 

Wiggin,  Charles  Edward:  aid,  ix;  house,  157. 

Wiggin,  James  Simon,  residence,  256. 

Wiggin  Street,  205. 

Wigglesworth,  Mrs.  Edward,  aid,  x. 

Wild,  Elisha,  marriage,  273. 

Wild,  Priscilla  (Greenwood),  273. 

Wilkes,  John,  letter,  203,  204. 

Wilkinson,  John,  house,  256. 

Wilkinson,  Simon:  land,  209 ;  house,  241. 

Willard,  Rev.  Samuel:    grave,  370;    pastorate, 

39'- 

William  and  Mary:    charter,    237;    patronizing 

King's  Chapel,  366. 
Williams,  Alexander,  bookstore,  386. 
Williams  Court:  thoroughfare,  357;  bell,  360. 
Williams  Farm,  milk,  276. 
Williams,  J.  M.  S.,  boyhood,  208. 
Williams,  Jonathan,  estate,  350. 
Williams  Portraits,  312. 
Williams's  Corner,  281. 
Williams,  Uncle  Jeff,  ferry,  276. 
Williams,  William  :  autograph,  shop,  and  niece, 

61  ;  gift,  328. 
Willis,  Charles:  sailmaker,  89;  father  and  son, 

89. 
Willis,  Nathaniel  Parker,  literary  resort,  386. 
Williston,  John,  house,  256. 
Wilson,  Captain  John,  pilot,  283. 
Wilson,  Henry,  portrait,  57. 
Wilson,  James:   town-crier,  357,  358 ;  character 

and  methods,  359. 
Winchester,  Colonel  William  V  ,  157. 
Win<  hester,  England,  emigrants,  231. 
Winchester  Family,  house,  no. 
Winchester,  Indian  boy,  231. 


Winchester,  Mass.,  name,  157. 

Winchester,  Stephen,  house,  157. 

Windmill  Hill,  name,  190. 

Window-arches,  227. 

Window-frames,  solid,  48,  107,  108,  no. 

Window-lights  :  many-paned,  166,  170;  diamond- 
shaped,  288. 

Window-seats  :  preserved,  33  ;  mahogany,  296. 

Window-sills,  brick,  346. 

Windows:  not  rebated,  19;  in  Marshall's  Lane, 
33;  shut  in,  71;  sizes  varying,  149;  gener- 
ous, 156;  small,  180;  narrow,  207;  wide,  225, 
226  ;    low,  232  ;    swinging,  249  ;    oval,  small, 

293- 
Wine,  at  funerals,  296. 
Wine-cellars,  Child's,  399. 
Winnisimmet  Ferry,  202.     (See  Chelsea.) 
Winship  &  Janes,  in  plan,  77. 
Winslow,  Admiral  John  A.,  portrait,  57. 
Winslow,  Elisha  D.,  wife,  313. 
Winslow,  John,  wife  and  grave,  369. 
W7inthrop,   Adam :    title    and   house,    108,    109 ; 

another  of  the  name,  109  ;  grave,  369. 
Winthrop,  Fitz  John,  grave,  369. 
Winthrop,  Governor  John:   administration,  68  ; 

grave,  369  ;  land,  384  ;  garden,  391  ;  old  house, 

393- 
Winthrop,  James,  in  college,  131. 
Winthrop,  John,  governor  of  Connecticut,  grave, 

369- 
Winthrop,    Professor   John :    in  Harvard,    108 ; 

grave,  369. 
Winthrop,  Thomas  Lindall,  grave,  369. 
Winthrop,  Wait  Still,  grave,  369. 
Wiscasset,  Maine,  188. 
Wisner,  Rev.  Benjamin  B.,  pastorate,  391. 
Witchcraft  Excitement,  392. 
Woart,  Rev.  John  :    rectorate,    169  ;   residence, 

190. 
Wood-carving:  specimens,  45,  6i,  118;  Skilling's, 

206. 
Wooden  Houses:  used  for  fuel,  124,  171  ;  Hull 

Street,  179  ;  forbidden,  216;  old,  383. 
Woodward,  Nathaniel  :   family,  239;  house,  275. 
Worcester  County,  97. 
Worcester,  Dr.  Joseph  E.,  wife,  298. 
Worcester,  Mass.,  newspaper,  34. 


Index. 


439 


Wren,  Sir  Christopher:  designs,  166;  school  of 

architecture,  368. 
Wright,  James,  house,  230. 
Writing,  taught,  139,  140.     (See  Chirography.) 
Writs  of  Assistance,  400. 


Yard,   spacious,   296. 
End.) 


See    Gardens,    North 


Young,  Dr.  Thomas,  club  president,  272. 
Young  Men,  famous  resort,  80. 
Young,  Rev.  Joshua,  pastorate,  299. 
Youth,    overseen    in   church,   309.     (See   Boy. 
Children.) 


Zara,  a  drama,  56. 
Zermatt,  sunshine,  72. 


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